#i love one (1) wrathful mystical god

[nepobabyeurydice]

lightning mcqueen blanket

Summary:

Jason shudders and pulls his blanket closer as Annabeth just shifts inside her own blue blanket plastered with a huge smiling cartoon Thor. “Chris Rodriguez?” Jason guesses, motioning to the blanket with his chin. Annabeth smiles wanly. “Luke, actually. Come sit with me, Jason.”

Annabeth and Jason smoke on the roof of Hera’s Cabin and discuss Thalia Grace and Camp Jupiter.

On Ao3

Jason couldn’t sleep.

The thunder in Cabin 1 picked up and usually, Jason could fall asleep before it reached this stage, but something kept him up as he curled up in Thalia’s old cot.

Annabeth had said something about a bed with a canopy and sound-proof curtains. About raising a platform and setting up more beds. A set of six, she had said. Three and three, Zeus had a tendency to keep these kinds of things, even like that. Castor and Helen, Herakles and Aegyptus, Hebe and Ares, Jason and Thalia.

He really needed to stop coming back to Thalia. He tried his best to be content with the mortal P.O box that he sent letters to in hopes that one day he’d get an answer to his questions.

Questions he had had all his life but no one dared answer. Questions that were so stupid, sometimes he wondered what he was doing with his life.

Jason sighs, and rolls off Thalia’s— his cot, and cringes at the freezing marble floor of the cabin-shrine. He gathers the gag gift of the Lightning McQueen blanket Chris Rodriguez had given him and pads across the floor to the door. Shooting a wary look at the Hippie Zeus Statue in case it had the mystical ability to summon the harpies, Jason slips out of his Cabin.

It’s freezing out, the cold chilling him to the bone and reminding him of Boreas’s palace in Quebec. Thinking about that first quest had him wondering if Piper and Leo were still awake, if he might be able to let some of his pent-up fears that haunted that cabin finally leave the vault of his chest.

He stands on the porch, hesitating and deliberating if it would be better to go back into freezing, thundering Cabin 1 when he spots the smoke on top of Hera’s Cabin. He frowns, Lightning McQueen blanket dragging behind him, as he squints up at the roof of Cabin 2. A smoke ring comes from the roof and it clicks.

Awkwardly, not wanting to let go of his nice, warm blanket, Jason floats upwards and lands on the freezing roof of Cabin 2.

“It’s a filthy habit,” Annabeth says, a languid half-smirk on her face as she shows off the cigarette in between her fingers. “I know.”

Jason shudders and pulls his blanket closer as Annabeth just shifts inside her own blue blanket plastered with a huge smiling cartoon Thor.

“Chris Rodriguez?” Jason guesses, motioning to the blanket with his chin.

Annabeth smiles wanly. “Luke, actually. Come sit with me, Jason.”

He had never spoken to Annabeth privately, not like Leo when he wanted her opinion on the Argo II or Piper wanted to talk with someone who wasn’t her half-siblings. 

He wants to change that, he realizes. He wants to get to know his sister’s sister and understand why Annabeth Chase is so beloved in the eyes of Chiron and Thalia. Wants to understand why he and her were not the trade instead of him and Perseus. 

What wrath did the gods fear for someone as well-loved as her to not be taken? Did they fear Perseus? Thalia? Or both, angry and seeking their lover and sister throughout the world.

Jason wonders if anyone is still looking for him. Probably not. It’s been a month and as much as he knew Reyna wouldn’t let him be declared, so swiftly, the legion needed a new leader.

Jason eyes the cigarette, then makes a decision. “Got another one?”

Annabeth smiles and pulls out a match from somewhere and strikes it against the marble. It shouldn’t ignite. It still does.

She easily lights a cigarette and hands it over to Jason. He awkwardly sticks it into his mouth and inhales through it, coughing as he expels the smoke from his mouth.

“Di immortales,” he rasps out. Annabeth throws back her head and laughs.

“And here I was starting to think you were stuck up, Jason.” she says, gray eyes gleaming with amusement. 

“My centurion,” Jason says with amusement, “would beg to differ. I drove her insane with all my radical ideas of renaming the 12th Legion to the 1st Legion.”

He sticks the cigarette in his mouth again and inhales through his nose, having a bit more success in not coughing like an idiot.

“He’s in California, isn’t he.” Annabeth states, voice abruptly dull. “I really don’t want to go back there.”

“Bad memories?”

She closes her eyes and blows out a plume of smoke. When her eyes open, she picks out a star and clearly tries to use it to keep him from seeing the tears in her eyes. Too bad, Jason had been doing that trick since he was six.

“He showed up to my house before it all went down. Asked me to go with him. I refused, and now he’s dead. Sometimes I wonder—”

“You were fifteen.” Jason says firmly. “When I was fifteen, I fought the Trojan Sea Monster after one of my cohort mates angered Neptune so much he wanted a repeat. Turns out, she was planning on joining Krios on Mount Tam and betraying us. I executed her myself. When adults make us do stuff despite us not even being close to having a fully developed brain, it’s on them., not us.”

“Holy Hades.” Annabeth mutters, making a three—fingered claw and pushing it away from her chest. Surprisingly, Jason felt better as a bitter cold dug into his skin through his Lightning McQueen blanket. “That’s fucked up.”

Jason nods and takes another puff of his cigarette. Annabeth follows suit, discarding her Thor blanket and letting the cold in as she makes a smoke ring.

“I miss her. Thalia that is. We used to go around the East Coast, hunting monsters and the past and never looking back. It was a happy time. I think you might’ve been happier with us, hungry and cold with only hammers as weapons, instead of with the Romans.” she says. “You would’ve learned what it meant to be on the run from everything connected to your past.”

“I didn’t think I had one.” Jason admits. “I thought I had sprung from Jupiter’s head like Minerva and just been given to Lupa straight after. I hardly remember Thalia, but I think I already love her more than I can bear.”

“She and Percy have that in common.” Annabeth agrees. “They’re both impossible not to love with everything you have in you.”

They both sit on that cabin roof, talking, until a cow starts mooing below them and the sun starts rising.

It’s better than sleeping in a marble coffin.

#jason grace #heroes of olympus #annabeth chase #fanfiction

[celestialholz]

What's an interesting yet not very well known Forgotten Realms fact that you would like to share?

Hello, dearest anon. I'm about to do to you what I've done to many people over the years and deeply disappoint you 🤣 I'm not especially familiar with the D&D setting outside of BG3 - I actually play WFRP in some of my spare time.

But in lieu of a Forgotten Realms fact, a handful of BG3 facts you may not know and that I think are very interesting, learned from my three and a half playthroughs. :)

1. Minthara's battle phrase 'sussun egg oloth' is Drow for 'light slays darkness', which is funky and appropriate for a paladin who has been exiled from her Underdark hometown. This is also written on Isobel's tomb - and Aylin is the source of both Ketheric's immortality and, potentially, his downfall.

2. Astarion's Persuasion check to stop him ascending is literally half of Shadowheart's not to kill Nightsong, provided you have to use her Persuasion check anyway. Which is absolutely wild to me.

3. A Storm Sorceror using Chain Lightning on a Wet target with Destructive Wrath and the Killer's Sweetheart auto-crit will do 320 damage in one turn if it isn't saved, assuming a 'normal' hit - i.e. lack of resistance/not being vulnerable.

4. Gortash's name is a play off the theme of radiance, hence his crossbow doing Radiant damage when he's my favourite bastard. :) His Hellfire Watcher-in-chief also carries Gontr Mael, the legendary longbow of this game that also does Radiant damage.

5. Gale is the only one of the tadfools whose guardian has a specific gender - he refers to them as she/her.

6. There's a second Dark Amethyst for the Necromancy of Thay in Mystic Carrion's basement.

7. There's a really cool axe behind the Illusion door in Sorcerous Sundries, but only if you destroy the door.

8. If you take one of the Drow twins in Sharess' Caress with you upstairs and Minthara is your partner, she will threaten to kill them if your sordid act goes ahead. Ignore her and go anyway, and Initiative will roll the second you speak to them in their quarters. (On god this is the funniest shit I've seen in a game crammed full of really funny shit.)

9. On arriving in Baldur's Gate, if you speak to a romanced Gale he'll tell you he's happy to support you if you're finding city life a bit overwhelming. This is supremely cute.

10. The Light of Creation doesn't stun you if you're naturally immune to Lightning.

11. An Embrace Durge can be targeted successfully by Hold Monster, even in humanoid form.

12. The Sunwalker's Gift doesn't work on console. My githyanki and dragonborn disapprove.

13. Ketheric's Netherstone is pink, the colour of feminity and adoration - presumably because he turned to the darkness after losing two women he loved.

14. If given free choice, even as a Selûnite Shadowheart will choose to kill her parents in the House of Grief.

15. Lorroakan keeps the best staff (and arguably the best robe) in the game in his basement, and uses a reasonable variant of both himself instead. A delightful showcase of his incompetence.

16. In Balanced, the Steel Watch are weak to lightning, and default Durge is a Storm Sorceror. This one's just fun. :)

17. Tactician Raphael has 865 health. Ew.

18. If you fight Gortash whilst the Steel Watch are still active, and try to give yourself an easier life by Arcane Locking the door to the three Watchers outside so they can't help, when the fight starts all three of them will be inexplicably surrounding Gortash.

19. You can pickpocket Withers. And he does not care how many times you fail it.

20. If you're struggling with the House of Grief fight, a Light Cleric can dispel magical darkness up to four times in the fight with the Amulet of the Devout.

:)

#fun facts with celestial #bg3 #ask #answered

[ivorys-back]

TWOF Overview

Okay, so since I've kinda been hyper-focusing on Angels and Demons for a while, I think it's about time I just let this whole thing out.

TWOF stands for 'The World of Fantasia', which is the crossover AU I've been working on for years. It tells the story of Alex Blackwood and Cassie Springfield, two teenage girls who travel to the the fantasy world (named Fantasia), and find out that they're destined to get rid of an evil as old as time itself.

In this post, I'll be going through the synopsis of each book and a basic plot of what the girls go through. I don't have the whole series figured out quite yet, but I'm getting there! I'll also put parenthesis beside each title to give you an idea of who they meet along the way.

(This is long so I'll put it under a cut)

Book 1: The Journey Begins (first trip in Fantasia) Alex Blackwood and Cassie Springfield's world is about to change. When an old friend of the girls' gives them a treasured storybook, they have no idea they’re about to enter a land beyond all imagining: Fantasia, where mythical creatures live separated from the humans, yearning to be reunited. But as Alex and Cassie soon discover, the stories of creatures they know and love aren't as they seem in this magical land—there's more than one god, Drachenfels is a kingdom of dragons, and they have a guardian angel! The girls want to get back home. But with a legendary prophecy to fulfill and entire legions of monsters on their trail, will they ever find their way?

Book 2: The Wrath of Krane (second trip) After decades of hiding, the evil that has haunted Fantasia for centuries is back with a vengeance—but not without help. Alex Blackwood and Cassie Springfield have not been back to the magical world of Fantasia since their adventures in The Journey Begins ended. But one night, they learn that an evil dragon has kidnapped Alex's mother! Against the will of their godfather Yinlong, the girls must and their own way into Fantasia to rescue Mrs. Blackwood and save Fantasia from the greatest threat it's ever faced.

Book 3: The Blazing Light (Lion King) Cassie Springfield thinks her fantasy adventures are behind her—until she discovers a mysterious clue left by the famous Dante Alighieri. With help from her classmate Audrey and Yinlong's sister Yue, Cassie sets off on a mission across Italy to crack the seven-hundred-year-old of the spirit world. Meanwhile, Alex Blackwood is training to become the next Protector of Fantasia…but her attempts at being a leader don't go as she planned. Will she ever be truly ready to lead the Mystic Council? When all signs point to disaster for Fantasia, Cassie and Alex must join forces with their friends and enemies to save the day. But nothing can prepare them for the coming battle…or for the secret that will change the girls' lives forever.

Book 4: The Great Unknown (HTTYD, LEGO Elves, Undertale, Warrior Cats) This is just the beginning. Scarface and his army are on the loose in Fantasia, and it’s up to Alex and Cassie to stop him…except Alex has been thrown off the Council, and no one will believe they’re in danger. With only the help of the ragtag group of Snow, Jake, Nikko, Ruby, Drago, and Majikku, the girls discover one of Fantasia's biggest mysteries: on the other side of a massive mountain range is a land filled with wonders, but Scarface is there, planning recruiting an army of Fantasia’s greatest evils! So begins a race through the wondrous Underground, the fantastical Forest of the Clans, the vast kingdom of Draconia, and beyond. Can Alex and Cassie catch up to Scarface, or will they be one step behind until it’s too late?

Book 5: Beyond the Mainland (Cuphead, BATIM) Scarface has captured all the royal families from Fantasia with the help of his army of villains. With his sinister plan finally in motion, he is eager to destroy the families and take his place as emperor. Alex and Cassie know they are no match against Scarface’s legion of monsters, but they realize that they may be in possession of the greatest weapon of all: a place beyond the Mainland! So begins the girls' journey across the sea to Inkwell Isles to gather an army of demons, object-people, and ink-monsters as they band together for the ultimate fight against Scarface. Meanwhile, an even more dangerous plan is brewing—one that could change the fates of both mythics and humans forever.

Book 6: Battle for the Afterlife (Hazbin Hotel/Helluva Boss/SCP Foundation) After allying themselves with the Devil himself, the archangel Raphael comes down to assist them on their journey, and brings them all to Heaven to ask for help from the gods. However, not all goes as planned, as a traitor lurks among the clouds and pearly gates. A wicked demons sends Alex and Cassie away from Fantasia into alternate universes. Alex awakes in a facility filled with cryptids and monsters; Cassie wakes in a version of Hell and is surrounded by sinners and imps, battling horned angels who are bent on eradicating all of Hell. Can the girls navigate through these strange worlds and find a way back to each other before it's too late?

Book 7: ???

#twof #the world of fantasia #my au #crossover #that's all i've got for now #as for the last one i'm terrible at writing synopsis #try to figure out which worlds the girls landed in

[the-wild-candy]

PAC - Which divine couple best represents you and your future spouse?

Hello there, welcome to pac#2.

If you have trouble choosing a pile then close your eyes, take a deep breath and the first pile you see after opening your eyes will have your answer.

For everyone who isn't familiar with the stories of the divine couples, I have mentioned it briefly before the reading itself.

This is for entertainment purposes only. Take what resonates, leave what doesn't.

Pile 1

Eros and Psyche

Context/backstory of the divine couple -

Psyche is a greek goddess. She was born a mortal woman. Despite that she had a beauty which rivaled aphrodite herself. Because of this, cupid aka eros was sent to shoot psyche with an arrow so that she may fall in love with something hideous. Instead of that, he ends up scratching himself with his own dart which makes him fall deeply in love with the woman sleeping in front of him thus disobeying his mother's (aphrodite) orders. (Psyche didn't even know eros at that point ).Further, in the mortal world, psyche was left unmarried where as her sisters (who were extremely jealous of her) had everything they wanted. No man was falling in love with her because cupid was in love himself. Psyche's father suspects that they have incurred wrath of gods and consults the Oracle of Apollo. His response was upsetting, the king was to expect a non human son-in-low. A monster perhaps. Psyche is then arrayed in a funeral attire conveyed by a possession to the peak of a rocky crag and exposed. Marriage and death are merged into a single rite of passage. When she wakes up again, she finds a marvelous house and meadows except her death and a monster of a husband. At that night, after exploring the house she meets eros all in the dark. The only exception was that she wasn't allowed to see his face. Time passes by and turns out that psyche is extremely happy with eros. One day when she visits her family back in the mortal world and faces her sisters who plant the seeds of distrust in her. Later that night, psyche watches eros sleep and finds a beautiful man instead of a monster.(She was there to kill him because her sisters said so). Turns out that eros and psyche were separated due to her distrust in him which had deeply hurt him. She had to face many challenges which were thrown at her by aphrodite herself. After she bypasses the cruelness of the goddess, she reunites with eros.

Cards I got for you - The seven of cups reversed, the heirophant in reverse, page of pentacles in reverse, the two of cups, the emperor in reverse and the seven of pentacles.

You see, the seven of cups has some of the most complex imagery in the entire tarot deck. It shows a dreamlike chaos is cups and symbols floating in a mystical world. Each symbol is unrelated to the next. When you meet your future spouse, follow your inner guidance to make sense out of the situation. I feel like you'll be a little confused. Like psyche lost her core values which lead to her not trusting eros enough, here you have to stay true to your values and principles. You and your future spouse's union is one which can stand the test of time. A relationship which will break a cycle, challenge the status quo and question certain expectations. You and your future spouse will be creative while finding out solutions to all the challenges that'll come your way. You will feel as if you took a conscious break from the rules and regulations of the monotonous life when you're with them. When psyche and eros started out their relationship, they had some troubles. I see that for you as well which makes sense with the page of pentacles in reverse. You may start out on a rough note because of the raw passion in the union but with that we also have the two of cups which is all about attraction and mutual energies. What color do you think is your aura? And what color do you think is your person's aura? Whatever they both may be, combine them for they are meant to create a greater energy. A union where you can offer each other balance and stability. Give and take. I got a lot of reversals in this pile, perhaps you will have to face challenges just like the divine couple did. Your person will have to set their role completely in order to connect with you. I am hearing 'a labour of love'. I see that both of you will be working hard on this connection with diligence and a vision for the future. As adventurous and challenging this union is then again, it's one which is full of love.

Pile 2

Hades and Persephone

Context/ back story of the couple -

According to mythology, Hades, god of the Underworld, fell in love with beautiful Persephone when he saw her picking flowers one day in a meadow. The god then carried her off in his chariot to live with him in the dark Underworld. In some accounts, Zeus had given his consent to the abduction, the location of the crime being traditionally placed in either Sicily (famed for its fertility) or Asia.

Meanwhile, Demeter searched the earth for her lost divine daughter and though Helios (or Hermes) told her of her daughter's fate, she, nevertheless, continued her wanderings until she finally arrived at Eleusis. It was here, disguised as an old woman, that the goddess cared for Demophon (or Triptolemos, who would later give the gift of grain to humanity and teach farming), the only son of Metaneira, the wife of Keleos, king of Eleusis. To reward the family for their kindness, Demeter set about making Demophon immortal by placing him on a fire every night. However, when Metaneira saw this, she raised an alarm. In response, Demeter revealed her true identity and demanded a temple be built in her honour. This was the beginning of the celebrated sanctuary of Eleusis. Once the temple was completed, Demeter withdrew from the world and lived inside it; at the same time, she created a great drought to convince the other gods to release Persephone from Hades. As the drought claimed ever more victims, Zeus finally sent Hermes to persuade Hades to release his ill-gotten bride. Before giving her up though, the wily Hades put a pomegranate kernel in the girl's mouth, knowing its divine taste would compel her to return to him. In other versions of the myth, Persephone could have been released if she had not eaten anything in the underworld during her captivity, but at the last moment, Hades gave her a pomegranate seed. Finally, as a compromise, it was decided that Persephone would be released but that she would have to return to Hades for one-third of the year (or in other accounts one-half).

Cards I got for you - the lovers, the ace of swords, queen of cups in reverse, the eight of cups, the queen of pentacles in reverse and the nine of wands.

This relationship dynamic is one I am personally in love with.

You and your future spouse are gonna be very attracted to each other. There is harmony and bliss. Two people who are perfectly in sync with their emotions. A perfect balance. There is raw power, mental clarity and victory represented in this connection. Your journey will be filled with new ideas and perspectives. "Divine timing". Despite all of that, every union has it's own ups and downs. Sometimes you or your person can be cold. There is more use of hard logic than emotions and natural insight. Sometimes it can even be draining to be so selfless when in love. That particular feeling of being ignorant towards one's own self and not being in term with emotions will lead to disappointments. There will be a point where it will feel like walking away is the best thing which you can do but that's not true. Caring too much and unconditional generosity will make you stand a time where a little bit of tough love is reflected too. But when this state comes, you both will realise that you have the ability to take care of yourself and that self love is important even when you're in a powerful union with someone. You'll be growing and learning throughout these phases of your life. The journey isn't easy, it never is. There will be cuts and scratches along the way but it will teach you how to stand tall and draw upon inner strength when its needed the most. A union which can stand the test of faith and is courageous.

Pile 3

Ares and Aphrodite

Context/ back story of the divine couple -

The myth of Aphrodite and Ares is one of the most interesting in Greek mythology. Let’s start off by saying that Aphrodite was the goddess of beauty and sexual love. She emerged from the sea and was more beautiful than any other creature. Gods, mortals, or anyone else who saw her were enchanted by her beauty and she knew it. Actually, that’s part of the reason why she was so vain. Hephaestus was the god of fire, forge, blacksmiths, and artisans and was secretly in love with Aphrodite. Hephaestus was the son of Hera and the God of gods, Zeus. He was also quite an ungrateful creature, which was the complete opposite of Aphrodite. According to the myth of Aphrodite and Ares, the god of war fell madly in love when he met the goddess of beauty. Unlike what he did with his other lovers, he decided to win her over. He bought her gifts and complimented her constantly to gain her love. The two spent a lot of time together until Aphrodite fully reciprocated. Hephaestus, her husband, spent every night in his workshop. The two lovers took advantage of this situation to love each other until dawn. Ares was always accompanied by a young man named Alectryon, whose duty was to watch the door. He did this in order to let them know when Helios, the Sun, appeared on the horizon. Helios saw everything. They had to keep their romance a secret, so this was truly necessary. For the Greeks, any god or goddess could have all kinds of love affairs with whoever they wanted. What wasn’t allowed was to have only one lover and maintain it. In other words, formal infidelity. The relationship between Aphrodite and Ares was just that.

Cards I got for you - the four of pentacles, the five od swords, the five of wands, the six of cups, the queen of swords and the knight of wands.

Your relationship with your future spouse will be very stable and secure. Financial security and saving/planning for the future can be very important to the both of you. You know that you have some responsibility towards your connection and you're gonna work on that. Although, there can be some reason which will cause strife in the relationship. I am hearing, 'pick your battles wisely, remember that it's possible to win the battle and lose the war'. Your union will need more attention because there will be disagreements. This can be because one of you can have their guard way up. 'Be considerate and communicate'. There will be moments where past can have a huge impact on the both of you or it is possible for you to cling onto memories. Despite this you and your person will be moving forward and build the future together. There will be a time in this union where you will overcome all those obstacles and reach a new type of mental clarity and strength of will. You both won't hesitate while communicating. You'll both be independent. Things will start making more and more sense and plans will take shape. You'll be a very charming couple. This union will be complex but ornamented with the lessons of life.

© the-wild-candy

#the-wild-candy #future spouse #tarot cards #pac tarot #pac #pick a card #pick a pile #future spouse pick a card #greek mythology #fs #tarot #tarot daily

[fanfiction-funtime]

Self insert oc: Alexander Vodka

AKA: Eis Cay'zar

Author of fate

A writer from Schneznaya who was driven from his home for his anti-Tsaritsa paper.

_____________________

Physical description:

A chubby fellow in a 1950's style noir trenchcoat and hat, some would even say he looks like he jumped right out of a noir comic book and into reality. He has brown hair and green eyes, a cowboy mustache, and a pointed beard like some kind of comic book supervillain genius.

He often acts confidently and even a bit egotistical when in places he's recognized and famous in, however in newer places he often seems distant and shys away from almost all contact.

Noone knows where his vision is, but they know he has one because of the cold aura that surrounds him.

At night he'll often trade his outfit for one more reminiscent of demons or vampires.

_____________________

Abilities:

Weapon type: Catalyst

Basic attack-truth: uses his catalyst to shoot a short burst of up to 3 ice shards, can attack in fast succession.

"Truth hurts, especially in bursts"

Charged attack-Bifrost: Alexander quickly makes an ice clone behind the enemy and fires 6 shots, this can increase to 3 clones if charged enough(times: 1 for 1 second, 2 for 2 seconds, and 3 for 2.5 seconds)

"I hate crowds, best company has always been myself"

Elemental ability-ice wall: creates an aura of sheer cold around himself that will damage enemies the more they stay in it, and apply the normal sheer cold to them. Does not affect party.

"My therapist said I put up walls because of trauma, but I couldn't hear them through the wall I had just built"

Elemental burst-a story to be told: Alexander takes out his book and opens to a random page, then randomly summons ice sculptures of one of 8 beings:

"Aster": this summon looks like the flatwoods monster, it surrounds the party in a swirl of ice blades that deal 2X damage as the character for 10 seconds.

"Who needs brawn, when you got brain"

"Ultimate foe": a demonic, pointy being of shadow. Will independently deal 25000 damage to three random foes.

"Meet my penultimate friend"

"Beethoven": a sculpture reminiscent of a ww1 zombie general, calls down a barrage of ice bombs that deal 5000 damage to enemies hit for 7 seconds.

"Good scifi doesn't predict, it prevents"

"Sorrows Joy": an angelic, faceless, robot like humanoid that spawns 25 angel shaped traps that freeze enemies around the character.

"With any luck, you're the only real one I've made"

"Death rider and the magic prince": two statues, one of a mummy like Schneznayan mystic of ancient barbarian times and the other an elven cavalry knight from the myths of mondstadt. The knight gives the party a 45% boost to speed and attack while moving, and the Schneznayan gives +10% damage bonus to elemental skills and +55% damage bonus to Catalyst.

"Feel the wrath of honor long passed"

"Zero point and Lion queen": a knightly man of spiked armor and a golden ottoman warrior woman whose golden chain completely obscures her head. Your enemies become inflicted with pyro and you are surrounded by thorn bushes that deal continuous damage of 1000 for 10 seconds.

"Walk down the way on a moonlit day"

The traveler: a child in a red straight jacket, his binds become undone after 4 seconds at which point all enemies take 10,000 X Alexander's level of damage.

"I uh,wont have to pay any copyrights will I?"

"Giota": a child in pyjamas who looks ready to sleep, this summon is very rare. It fully restores all party members and gives a 200% boost to both defense and damage of your characters.

"This fella's been with me since I was a kid"

"If it is a soldier's duty to escape the confines of a prison, is it not every person's duty to escape reality if even for a moment? A wise man said that, pray that I may one day be like him."

Passive-part the wasteland: Alexander is immune to sheer elements, and Grant's 50% resistance when in the party to all members.

_____________________

Story

Abandoning a dream

As a kid, Alexander was always put down when he said he wanted to write fiction, "there's no money in it" they all said.

He couldn't get into any art schools without support so he focused his mind elsewhere, a place he could hopefully use his writing to do just as much good: the first newspaper in Schneznaya.

Horrible truth

He didn't start as a trouble maker, but the more he sought out the truth the more he couldn't stand back and watch. He published numerous papers about the Tsarista's wrongdoings and the crimes of the fatui, how they would harass merchants in other nations, the unfair taxes many shipping businesses had to keep quiet about, all the way up to the war crimes the Tsarista had done in direct contradiction to her own laws.

Sadly, not many believed him even with evidence, but some got his message.

Those who fight

One day Alexander was approached by a man who claimed to have formed a resistance against the fatui. Alexander had inspired many people to disrupt the organization, and have even begun working with those outside Schneznaya.

With their help he didn't just publish some crimes, he published them all, he even got information that turned the general public against the fatui even if just a little.

In a way h had achieved his dream of helping others with his writing, even if it wasn't how he wanted.

Stop the presses

When the Tsarista started her big move of taking gnosis, she brought the hammer down on dissent like a boulder on a ten year old's wrist. One day a squad of thirty fatui stormed Alexander's home and business to silence him, and while they shut down his business they couldn't catch him.

Alexander fled into the wastelands of ice and snow and wasn't seen for several weeks.

Deus ex Vodka

One day Alexander showed up in Inazuma, a nation that had been oppressed for some time now and had recently reached it's height, yet no resistance had formed.

That was until Alexander came along.

Alexander published numerous books, spreading them throughout Inazuma. All of them spoke of freedom, of bravery, of rising up to achieve your ambitions.

And with those stories he inspired countless to take up arms, and in turn inspired countless to join the resistance.

And with mere fiction he had brought about hope,

And with mere fiction he shall do it again, in every form, and in every nation.

Vision: cold hearted

While wondering the waste Alexander fell down and looked to the skies.

He did not ask celestia why, he did not grieve or blame that he did not do more, instead Alexander did something he hadn't done in a long time:

He imagined.

And after he imagined he took out his notebook and wrote. In the freezing cold for seventeen days he wrote stories of hope and freedom.

For seventeen days the cold did not so much as cause him to flinch as he wrote tales of bravery.

For seventeen days Alexander Vodka lived how he wanted to live.

And at the end, he lied down to die.

Then a light shown, and when he opened his eyes to look he saw that the storm parted around him, and in his hand was an ice blue gem.

But Alexander was too paranoid from years of abuse from his peers as a child to wear it loosely, and far to extra to just get a lock. So instead Alexander shouted to celestia "if I shall have this Vision for my art, then it shall not kill me no matter what I do!"

He then shoved the vision into his heart and fell down.

Before he could bleed out however, a woman appeared.

"Hey Tsari, how ya doin." Alexander said as blood poured out his mouth.

"You dramatic fool," the Tsarista sighed as she put a hand on his chest, "you have my element, do you know how bad it'll look for me if you die by shoving your vision into your heart?"

"Why do you care? We hate eachother, in case you forgot."

The archon sighed, "you're just rebelling against what you see as unjust, just as I am. To be honest I feel a sort of rivalry with you, so it'd be a shame if you just died. Also," she painfully shoved the vision all the way in, painfully, "if your going to die it better be because of me, got it?"

Then Alexander sat up, and the god was gone. Along with the hole in his chest.

"Rival of a god eh?" He sat up, putting his gat back on his head, "I like the sound of that."

_____________________

How is this an insert?

Well his story can't be the exact same as mine, so I took my life and goals and made predictions, then fictionalized those predictions and expanded.

His appearance is pretty close to how I'll likely look based on my current appearance, and his dramatic attitude is exactly how I wanna act.

Him being shy in new places with strangers is me exactly as I am now really, however I do believe I'd act confidently if I were famous so he does as well.

Him being Catalyst is because I'm not athletic at all, and I figured a dps Catalyst would be cool. His main ability and resistance/immunity to sheer cold is based on how I wrap up in warm blankets when it's cold, and his ultimate is made up of characters I've made.

_____________________

Tagging: @genshin-obsessed, @golden-wingseos, @storytravelled, and @love-psxlm

#genshin #genshin impact #genshin oc

[darthkvznblogs]

From His Vantage Upon the Moon #1

Thor, Doctor Strange, and the Olympians

(MCU x Percy Jackson and the Olympians x Supergiant Games' Hades)

It's rather bad form for a visiting god not to check in with the local deities; Thor's already missed two visits, so he really oughta visit Mount Olympus - though in his defense, being cast out by Odin really shouldn't count. Fortunately, Doctor Strange is willing to play mediator between the typically fickle pantheons.

(From His Vantage upon the Moon is a collection of one-shot stories set in the Kryptonverse, an MCU based crossover universe including over 16 franchises so far. You can find the original work here, but I'll also be posting each short story here on Tumblr, too! If you like what I do, and would like to support me, you can find me on Ko-fi!)

“Are you entirely certain you wish to accompany me, Sorcerer?” –Thor asks, raising an eyebrow as they stand just outside the Empire State Building. Despite the fact that they’re in street clothes, Thor’s outrageously chiseled physique keeps drawing quite a few lascivious gazes, much to Stephen’s chagrin.

“Were it truly up to me, I’d be happy to let you make a fool of yourself.” –he drawls. “My duties, however, require me to mediate your reunion.”

Thor hums. “I don’t recall requiring a mediator during my last visit.” –he grouses. “The Lords of Olympus were quite amenable to our brief presence on Midgard back then.”

“That was then, and this is now. Earth has changed quite a bit in your absence.” –Strange argues. “The Olympians and their demigod children, in particular, have suffered through quite a bit of turmoil in the past few decades – particularly so in the last five years. Compounded with the thinning of the Mist, they’re bound to be wary of anyone outside their immediate circle of trust. Even if you were a friend.”

“Ah. I see.” –Thor mutters. “Strange, is it not? Their own troubles, Loki’s betrayal and the bandit rampage throughout the Nine Realms...we’ve had centuries of peace, and now this. So much has happened in so little time.”

Strange sighs. “I’m afraid this could just be the beginning. But this isn’t the time for that.” –he says. “Let’s hurry along. You have an invasion to repel.”

The god and the sorcerer walk into the building. A security guard stands beside the elevator – less a person and more a magical security measure meant to dissuade mortals (and even some demigods) from entering the gods’ abode. The guard recognizes Strange, though, and merely waves him into the elevator – though not before shooting Thor a vaguely hostile look.

“Odd custom, this.” –Thor notes, as Strange punches in their destination – floor 600. “Moving their home around so often – seems rather a hassle. What’s wrong with the original Mount Olympus?”

“The Olympians like to chase the most powerful nations around, eager for worship as they are. Right now, America’s at the top of the food chain.” –Strange retorts. “Though I hear they’re considering moving back to Greece as part of their big PR strategy. This part of the world is getting rather crowded, rather fast – and Greece could certainlyuse the tourism it’d bring, once they reveal themselves to the world.”

“I remember their strange worship-sustenance, yes.” –Thor recalls as he raises an eyebrow. “Have the mortals truly forgotten us?”

Strange shakes his head. “It’s not like that. Your kind may have become myths, but we still retell them in many forms. That being said, very few people believe in the gods – and I’m not entirely certain that they think of you as you truly are. You and your kin, in particular, have drawn some rather nastyfollowers in the past century or so.”

Thor winces. “Jane mentioned as much, during my brief stay. Something about ‘perfect Arian men’.” –he mutters, disheartened. “Hatred and fear twist the minds of gods and mortals alike. Such it has been as long as I’ve lived.”

“Well, that’s what we’re here for. It’s up to us to set the record straight.” –Stephen says.

Thor nods as the elevator dings, opening to the golden gates and pristine marble of Olympus. “Aye, that we are.”

The duo make their way forth, magically changing into their mystical regalia. Lesser gods and nature spirits look on in surprise and curiosity as Thor cheerfully greets them, giggling nymphs and naiads huddling into gossiping circles. The throne room sits atop a small cliff, like the Parthenon in Athens, overlooking the entire realm and the hazy mortal world, barely visible below.

When they enter, Strange can’t help but be surprised; it’s been maybe a month since he was last on Olympus, and yet he can barely recognize the figures sat on each of the thirteen thrones, each of them at least thirty feet tall – the only exception being the hooded figure of Hestia, placidly sat within the flames of the hearth in the middle of the room.

“Venerable Lords and Ladies of Olympus.” –Stephen half bows. “The Mighty Thor, Firstborn of Odin, God of Thunder, Strength, and Fertility, would request an audience of you.”

The god at the head of the Pantheon leans forward. King Zeus looks very different – his skin is a few shades darker than Strange remembers, closer to the olive tones of the Greek, and his more or less sensible black hair and beard have dramatically changed to become cloud-like in appearance, billowing in the ever-present wind of the divine mountaintop. Gone, too, is his perfectly tailored suit – he is clad in a golden toga, accented in white, and a plethora of rings adorn his hands, one of which casually holds the Master Bolt. A crown of stylized lightning sits atop his head. “Master Sorcerer.” –he greets, his voice booming like distant thunder. “And the Lord Thor. Welcome to Olympus.”

“Do forgive the lack of appropriate fanfare in your reception.” –Queen Hera says, beside him, snow-white robes adorned with a golden belt and peacock feathers, sprouting like a corona behind her head. “Dragging our family together for such an impromptu visit proved a more difficult endeavor than we anticipated.”

The thirteenth god scoffs, at Zeus’ left. Lord Hades crosses his arms, ashen-skinned, bushy-bearded, and much more muscular than Strange remembers him – perhaps the most visually different of them all. A crown of burning laurels, matching his flaming feet, compliments his blood-colored chiton, and precious stones of all kinds adorn his hands and arms. “Then perhaps you should have done with the few of you who were already present, Sister Hera. Blood and Darkness, but this is a waste of my time.” –he curses, leering at their guests with black and red eyes. “Curse the day your spawn so nobly decided to include me in these affairs, Poseidon.”

Poseidon, at least, Stephen recognizes. Physically, Percy’s father looks the same as before, for some reason – even though his clothes have also regressed to what must’ve been his ancient looks. He smirks at his older brother. “We won’t keep you from your lovely family for long, Brother.” –he says, trying to placate the wrathful Lord of the Underworld. “But this is important.”

“Loathe as I am to agree with Lord Poseidon, rekindling our bonds with King Odin and his kin upon Asgard is paramount among our short-term priorities, Lord Hades.” –Athena grudgingly admits. Hades scoffs, sulking back into his throne. The virgin Goddess of Wisdom and War turns to Thor. “And I sense Lord Thor is eager to make amends for his unannounced visit and battle, earlier this year.”

Thor grins. “Indeed, Lady Athena. Though the mortals bid us worship once, Asgard recognizes Olympus’ sovereignty upon Midgard. King Odin sends his regards – and his firstborn, to aid in the protection of your world in whatever way you deem necessary.” –he says.

Zeus and Hades share a knowing look that has Strange wincing internally – they must know something about Thor that the Asgardian himself doesn’t. “There is no transgression to apologize for. And you’re allowed free transit in our domains, fellow Thunderer.” –Zeus declares, amiably enough. “Though grateful for the All-Father’s offer, we do not hold you to our service. You’ve decided to shoulder enoughresponsibilities to humanity already.”

“Your brother, I assume he is no longer a threat?” –Athena asks, narrowing her stormy grey eyes.

Thor’s smile falters. “No, he isn’t. I come fresh off his sentencing – he will live out his many, many days in our dungeons. This, I feel, does require an apology.”

“Family is a difficult matter at the best of times, Thor.” –Lady Demeter says, glaring coldly at the King of Olympus. “You have our condolences for Loki’s turn to madness.”

“Thank you, Lady Demeter.” –Thor bows. Stephen worries, despite himself, at the hint of pain in his voice.

“Madness or not, I envied your ability to challenge it alongside the mortal champions, unbound by our ancient laws as you are. Will you go join them now, in the bloodshed about to unfurl?” –Ares wonders, blood-red irises keen to see the Asgardian in action.

Thor nods curtly, his jaw set. “Indeed, Lord Ares. I do not mean to cut our meeting short, but I must aid my brothers and sisters in battle.”

“Oh, how boring.” –Aphrodite laments. Hers is the most eye-turning makeover of all – if only because she’s fully nude, pink-skinned as the day she rose from Ouranos’...remains. Only her flowing, rosy Godiva hair allows her any modesty – and even then, it’s tremendously inconsistent. Intentionally, Strange must assume. “It’s all doing battle with you warrior types. Here I thought you’d come back to see that pretty little mortal you fancied.”

Thor clears his throat. “That, uh...that is a bonus, yes.” –he admits. “But protecting the world takes priority.”

Zeus nods, approvingly – a little bit hypocritically, Strange feels, considering how hands-off the Olympians can be. “So it does, Odinson. Go with our blessing – and do join us for a spot of Nectar and Ambrosia soon. We have a few thousand years of history to catch up on, after all.”

#from his vantage upon the moon #kryptonverse #fanfiction #fanfic #crossover #hades game #percy jackson #pjo series #marvel cinematic universe #marvel #thor #doctor strange #ko fi link #ko fi

[musingsofanunorgainizedmind]

Top 10 Things I Love About Supernatural

It’s been almost half a year since the show ended and now that the dust has settlIed, I just want to list ten reasons I love this show. Despite it’s flaws, it’s been quite the ride.

1. Team Free Will

When I first got the idea to make this list, I originally planned on doing entirely separate entries for “Sam & Dean” and “Destiel”. Except then I wanted to pay tribute to “Sastiel”. And then I wanted to do an entry for “Team Free Dads”. By that point, I was already halfway through the list and I hadn’t even moved on from the main characters. A few months ago, I made a post about why I love every single pairing in this group. Obviously, Sam and Dean are a legendary duo. Obviously, Dean and Cas have an unparalleled story. Obviously, Sam and Cas are an underrated team. As for Team Free Dads, I’ve always had a soft spot for father/mentor figure characters and and all three tackle the role in different ways. I love Jack, too. I love how everyone in this bizarro family is “broken” in some way. We’ve got the Allistair’s prized pupil, the spawn of satan, the boy with demon blood, and the angel who nearly obliterated all of heaven. But they help each other heal by being supportive and seeing the good in each other. They all love each other so deeply and when together, nothing can stand in their way. Not Michael, not Lucifer, and not God himself. They tore up the book and wrote their own story. And it was a pleasure to watch it all unfold.

2. The Suppporting Characters

To list every single supporting character I have loved and lost in this show would take way too long. I don’t know if it’s the writing or acting performances, but I love pretty much every single supporting character on this show. Even villains like Azazel or Allistair are top-notch villains. Hell, I even like characters like Metatron, Lucifer, Mary, and John! Characters like Rufus, Charlie, Crowley, Rowena, Kevin, Ellen, Jo, Bobby, Gabriel, Balthazar, Mick...how am I not supposed to love them??? All of their stories were cut so short. I’d watch a show about any of these characters. The Wayward Sisters were robbed. So many ships were gone too soon (Sam/Rowena, Dean/Jo, Cas/Meg, Etc.). So many heartbreaking deaths. I want to be best friends with all these characters. Why be a “dean-girl” or a “sam-girl” when you can be a garth-girl? A kevin-girl? A claire-girl? A bela-girl? There are so many great characters with interesting and compelling backstories and so much untapped potential. I could go on forever on this, but I digress.This show has one of the best supporting casts I have ever had the pleasure of watching.

3. The Themes

It’s no accident that I got addicted to this show at the time that I did. Namely, my Senior Year of College and 2020. Graduating college and entering the “real world” felt like it’s own sort of apocalypse. 2020 definitely exacerbated my worst tendencies. Messages like “family don’t end in blood”, “you can write your own story”, and “always keep fighting” really resonated with me. I could definitely relate to the feelings of insecurity these character’s felt and the ways they suppressed/repressed their issues instead of facing them. I could relate to the feelings of not fitting in and I could definitely relate to the loneliness. This show helped remind me that I’m not alone. That it’s okay if my values and identity don’t line up with the what I envisioned for myself. And, most importantly, that there is a light at the end of the tunnel and that I should never give up. If Dean, Sam, and Cas can keep moving forward despite their demons and despite how bad it gets, so can I. Regardless of how the story ended, these themes resonated with me and I’ll still hold them with me. A single episode can’t take that away.

4. The Fun Episodes

This show has so many legendary standalone episodes. Changing Channels. Ghostfacers. The French Mistake. Fan Fiction. Tall Tales. Bad Day at Black Rock. When this show goes for the absurd, it goes all-in. It takes the risks it needs to take, it gets completely insane, and it pulls it off. So many of these episodes could have easily been the moment that the show “jumped the shark”. Yet, time after time, the show delivered on it’s potential. I don’t know how much I can say about these episodes except that they made me laugh out loud, made me fall even harder for these characters, and that they’re the episodes I remember best. If I were to rewatch any episode, it would be one of the fun ones. This show knew how to not take itself too seriously and how to poke fun at itself. I’ve always had a soft spot for shows that can make me laugh and cry (X-Files, Buffy the Vampire Slayer/Angel, Doctor Who, etc.), and this show definitely nails the fun part. 

5. The Sad Episodes

Death’s Door. Hammer of the Gods. Despair. Carry On. Abandon All Hope. In My Time of Dying. Swan Song. When this show wants you to cry, it doesn’t pull the punches. It gets downright devastating. No character is safe. Literally every character you love will either be forgotten or will die. Or both. The amount of trauma Sam and Dean have to go through is insane. Both have literally been to hell and back. Both have killed countless people, including innocents. When this show decides it wants to wreck you, it’s overwhelming. I sobbed when Bobby died. I sobbed when every single member of Team Free Will died for the final time (I still can’t watch any of those scenes). I still wish Jo, Ellen, Charlie, Kevin, Mick, and Gabriel had been given more time to tell their stories. Being a hunter means a life of endless angst. Being an angel or demon doesn’t get you off the hook, either. I remember going into this show thinking it couldn’t hurt me. My favorite character type is “mentor/father figure”. But holy hell...I don’t think every single sad moment was necessarily good writing, but when it was? Damn. 

6. The Biblical Themes

I’m not a relgious person. But, despite this show being steeped in Christian mythology, it really touched on my feelings about the Old Testament in a profound way. Well, really just Ben Edlund and Robbie Thompson did. I’ve never seen a show really hit the overall feel of the bible the way this show does. The idea of Angels as mystical and terrifying creatures. The idea of God as a flawed father figure with a penchant for wrath. The sheer epicness of the biblical stories. The idea of family members constantly being turned on each other. Cain and Abel. Jacob and Essau. Moses and Ramses. Moses and Aaron. Abraham and Isaac. The bible is full of stories of family drama. This show doesn’t always give angels and demons weight. Sometimes it’s silly and stupid and cheesy. But when it hits right? It’s epic. This is more of a personal thing I love about the show, but definitely a plus!

7. The Music

The early seasons music is so good. I really miss the classic rock of the golden era of the show. I mean, there are still some great musical moments later on, but damn. I loved hearing songs I recognized and I loved learning new songs. I loved when the song and the scene hit perfectly in time (Death’s intro. Cas’s return in Season 13.). Also Supernatural wouldn’t be Supernatural without the ‘Carry On My Wayward Son’ song at the end of every season. Even at the end of a season I didn’t love, that recap would always get me pumped. Also Chuck singing Fare Thee Well? Dean and Lee singing together? Fan Fiction? All great. 

8. The Cast & Crew

I never care about the actors or actresses in a show. I definitely don’t bother with the names of specific writers and directors or their styles of writing/directing. They’re just random people who happen to write for or play these characters I love. They’re not actually the characters. But these guys? Well, for one, I’m pretty sure half this cast actually is their character. At least to some degree. They’re also just...really cool people? Who are all friends? They make a point to do community service, to interact with fans, and to promote positive ideas. Jared’s Always Keep Fighting campaign. Misha and GISH. The fact that they all participate in fundraising opportunities and encourage fan engagement. Do they all have issues? Definitely. Have they said stupid things? Yes. But the good far outweighs the bad. They’re an entertaining bunch whether onscreen or not and I hope they all do well in whatever their future endeavors may be.  

9. The Fandom

I joined this fandom late. To be honest, I thought this fandom was obnoxious before I found myself a part of it. Now that I’ve been in the trenches? It’s got it’s ups and downs like any fandom. There are some parts that are more toxic than others. A lot of people yelling that their opinion is the only opinion. But overall? The good outweighs the bad. And the good? The good is great. Some fanfictions I’ve read are better than actual books I’ve read and just as moving. The fanart? Incredible. I love reading all the metas about random aspects of the show I never would have noticed. I love the music videos and I love the analytical videos. In real life, I’ve made many friends through our mutual love of this show. Hell, even getting sucked into GISH once or twice has given me some solid memories and brought me closer to friends. I wish all fandoms were this much like family. I’m so glad I got to be a part of this fandom and I can’t wait to continue being a fan. After all, nothing ever stays dead in Supernatural.

10. The Chaos & Insanity

Season 16 has been a time. First, Destiel went canon. Then suddenly Sherlock was having a 5th season, Putin was retiring, and Georgia was going blue. Destiel going “canon” and Joe Biden winning the presidency will always be correlated in my mind now. Things in the fandom went from quiet to blaringly loud real fast. Carry On happened. The fandom went into a civil war. I can’t even remember half of what happened in Season 16, but it’s been a wild ride. There’s been ups (my personal favorite being the french dub and the Saileen wedding). There’s been downs (Jared’s controversial statements and the original scripts being leaked). At one point Misha Collins had sex with Bill Clinton???? It’s been a wild time. It’s honestly gotten me through the end of this pandemic. At least it’s entertaining. I would say that at least all the craziness is over, but is it ever really over? Every time I say that something else completely insane happens. But it’s been fun. I’m glad I started watching this show despite my reservations and here’s to whatever happens next. 

#team free will #team free will 2.0 #castiel #jack kline #sam winchester #dean winchester #sam and dean #destiel #wayward sisters #supernatural #spn #misha collins #jared padalecki #jensen ackles

[cassianus]

Jesus Christ: Priest and Victim

by Msgr. Arthur B. Calkins

I. The Mystery of Mediation

An attentive study of God's revelation to us in both the old dispensation and the new discloses that God chooses to deal with his people through certain men whom he designates to represent him to them and to represent them before him. We might describe this as the "mystery of mediation". After the sin of our first parents, which was subsequently to be multiplied billions of times over by the personal sins of all their descendants, the Old Testament shows us numerous instances in which a representative is designated by God himself to intercede on behalf of his people in order that God's wrath, stirred up on account of their sins, might be turned away from them and that his people may receive instead his blessings. Among the many instances, "the prayer of Moses becomes the most striking example of intercessory prayer, which will be fulfilled in 'the one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus'."1 The Catechism of the Catholic Church adroitly sketches the role of Moses as mediator:

From this intimacy with the faithful God, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, Moses drew strength and determination for his intercession. He does not pray for himself but for the people whom God made his own. Moses already intercedes for them during the battle with the Amalekites and prays to obtain healing for Miriam. But it is chiefly after their apostasy that Moses 'stands in the breach' before God in order to save the people. 2

The priests, prophets and kings of the Old Testament, each according to his particular office, all shared in this role of mediation. In varied circumstances and with an ever clearer manifestation of God's plan these chosen mediators reveal to us both (1) the divine dispensation of mediation which God established in order to show mercy to his people and (2) at the same time the provisional role of this mediation.

A. Priestly Mediation

We have already alluded to the fact that most probably the greatest of all the mediatorial figures of the Old Testament was Moses, the lawgiver, who in a certain sense combines in himself the categories of prophet, priest and king. Functioning in a priestly perspective, he offered sacrifice (cf. Ex. 24) and was empowered by God to "ordain" his brother Aaron high priest (cf. Ex. 29). In the course of time it eventually became established that it was exclusively the priest who offered sacrifice to God on behalf of the people and through whom the bounty of God was dispensed to them.3 Here is how the eminent Dominican theologian, Father Reginald Garrigou-Lagrange, sketched the divine institution of priestly mediation:

To accomplish the exterior and social worship due to God, the priestly mediation must both ascend to Him and descend from Him. Man, being composed of soul and body, owes God both interior and exterior worship, and living by nature in society, owes Him, too, social worship, God being no less the author and benefactor of human society than of our soul and body. We need the priest to bind into a single whole the prayers of all the people, to unify their acts of adoration, of praise, and of reparation, and to make up for the imperfection of the acts of the faithful. His sanctity, that is, his special consecration to the Lord for this purpose, makes him capable of offering the prayers of the people to God as an expression of their whole soul.

The priest is no less necessary to bring to the people the things of God, divine light and grace, without human alteration or adulteration.4

B. Sacrifice

While the duties of the priest in the Old Testament included a number of functions related to the sanctuary,5 by far their most important function was to offer sacrifice. Because this was also true for the priests of many pagan religions, it would be possible to approach the question of sacrifice from the perspective of comparative religion and philosophy as well as from that of the Old and New Testaments and of Christian theology.6 We follow here the descriptions developed by Monsignor Antonio Piolanti, abstracting from the biblical, philosophical and theological data.

Sacrifice, which constitutes the supreme act of external and public worship, may be defined as the offering and immolation to God of something sensible (fruits, liquids, animals) in order to recognize his absolute lordship and in order to atone for sin. Sacrifice, consequently, has two aspects: one material and sensible because it is an external and public act; the other internal and spiritual because in order to have an effective moral value it must be motivated by a spiritual and intimate content. The offering especially of something living such as fruits and, even more, animals and then the consequent immolation or destruction of these offerings is the counterbalance to the creative act of God. As God has given life to all things, man symbolically restores life back to him. Particularly in the immolation to God of a victim such as a lamb, a goat, a calf or a bull through the mediation of a priest, man expresses his total dependence and dedication to God. The ultimate end of the sacrifice is the mystical union of man with his God.7

Let us listen to Garrigou-Lagrange comment on the offering of sacrifice:

The twofold priestly mediation takes place especially in sacrifice, the offering of the sacrifice forming the ascending mediation, and the sharing of the victim offered with the faithful by communion forming the descending mediation. Just as the priesthood constitutes the pre-eminent sacred function, so sacrifice, as its name indicates, forms the pre-eminent sacred action. Without sacrifice, no priesthood; without the priesthood, no sacrifice; for sacrifice supposes an offering priest and an offered victim.8

C. The Shedding of Blood

The pre-eminent way of atoning for sin in both ancient pagan religions and also in the Old Testament always involved the shedding of blood. Here is a fascinating analysis of the rationale for this from the late Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen:

Pagan people, without knowing it explicitly, sensed the truth that "unless blood is shed, there can be no remission of sins" (Heb. 9:22). From the earliest times, through the kings and priests, they offered animals, and sometimes even humans, to turn away the anger of the gods. As in the Levitical priesthood, however, the victim was always separate from the priest. The sacrifice was a vicarious one, the animal representing and taking the place of the guilty humans, who thus sought to expiate their guilt in the shedding of blood.

But why, it may be asked, did the pagans, without the help of revelation, reach the conclusion expressed by St. Paul under Divine inspiration that "without the shedding of blood there was no remission of sins"? The answer is that it is not hard for anyone who ponders on sin and guilt to recognize: first, that sin is in the blood; and second, that life is in the blood, so that the shedding of blood expresses appropriately the truth that human life is unworthy to stand before the face of God.9

While it was clear that God required an acceptable reparation in order to restore man to his friendship, it also became clear to the thoughtful man of the Old Testament that no mere man could ever definitively "breach the chasm" which sin had caused between God and his creatures. As the inspired author of the Letter to the Hebrews tells us:

Since the law has but a shadow of the good things to come instead of the true form of these realities, it can never, by the same sacrifices which are continually offered year after year, make perfect those who draw near. Otherwise, would they not have ceased to be offered? If the worshipers had once been cleansed, they would no longer have any consciousness of sin. But in these sacrifices there is a reminder of sin year after year. For it is impossible that the blood of bulls and goats should take away sins (Heb. 10:1-4).

Sin, an offense against the infinite God, in effect required a reparation which man, left to his own devices, remained incapable of making. No mere human creature could really succeed in mediating between God and his people except in incomplete and partial ways which could, at best, foreshadow the full, complete and definitive mediation which was needed.

II. Jesus the Perfect Mediator

At the very heart of the mystery of our redemption is the fact that Jesus Christ is the "one mediator between God and men ... who gave himself as a ransom for all" (I Tim. 2:5-6). Why is Jesus the unique and perfect mediator? This affirmation from the new Catechism provides us with the fundamental elements needed to formulate a response:

No man, not even the holiest, was ever able to take on himself the sins of all men and offer himself as a sacrifice for all. The existence in Christ of the divine person of the Son, who at once surpasses and embraces all human persons, and constitutes himself as the Head of all mankind, makes possible his redemptive sacrifice for all.10

One with God in his divinity, Jesus is at the same time one with man in his humanity.11 In his divine person he unites the two natures of the two parties who had become separated by man's sin: he represents God to man and man to God. As the Word who is one with the Father from all eternity, the Son is not a mediator, but he becomes one from the moment he begins to take flesh in the womb of the Virgin Mary.

A. Jesus the Priest

The position of being a mediator, according to St. Thomas, and indeed, according to the undivided Christian tradition, is in a pre-eminent way exercised by the priest. 12 Indeed, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, the inspired author of the Letter to the Hebrews would come to grasp that, even though he was not sprung from the priestly tribe of Levi and never referred to himself explicitly as a priest, 13 Jesus was the perfect high priest who succeeded in bridging the gap between God and his people in a way that no other priest ever could.

Meditating upon this fact, the Fathers of the Church came to an ever deeper appreciation of the fact that precisely by virtue of the Incarnation, Jesus became the perfect mediator, the perfect priest. He was not so from all eternity as the Word coequal to the Father and to the Holy Spirit, but only from the time when he took on our human nature. 14

We can speak, then, of the ontological nature of Jesus' priesthood, that is to say of his being a priest by virtue of his assumption of our human nature. This understanding, in fact, was solemnly defined by the Council of Ephesus in 431. 15

Thus Father Clément Dillenschneider says that

By his union with human nature, the Son of God is ontologically constituted the Sovereign Priest of humanity, and God the Father recognizes him as such in the mystery of the Incarnation. As Son of God made flesh, he is priest forever, according to the order of Melchisedec, although the consummation of his priesthood was attained only after the sacrifice on the cross (Heb. 5:9-10).16

One with the Father from all eternity, Jesus became one with us in an irrevocable way at the moment of Mary's fiat, hence by virtue of the hypostatic union. Garrigou-Lagrange puts it thus: He [Jesus] is a priest, therefore, because of the Incarnation itself, and His priesthood, like His sanctity, is substantial. God decreed the Incarnation and called Jesus to the priesthood and to His universal mediatorship by one and the same act. 17

B. Jesus, Priest and Victim

I believe that it was the special merit of Archbishop Sheen, in what he described in his autobiography as the third [and last] stage of his life, to have meditated at length on Jesus' priest-victimhood and to have drawn out the implications for Catholic priests of today. 18 Hence it is to him that I turn for another crucial insight into the person of Jesus:

The sin-bearing character of Christ did not begin on the cross. He was not first a Priest and then, during the last three days, a Victim. His Victimhood was never at any one moment divorced from his Priesthood. 19

Whichever way we look at Christ, we never find Divinity isolated from humanity or humanity from Divinity. Neither are priesthood and victimhood ever separated. Arianism would deny Divinity as the new Arianism would deny victimhood.20

Jesus could offer the perfect sacrifice to the Father precisely because he is one with the Father in his Godhead and one with us in our humanity and also because he is uniquely and simultaneously both priest and victim.

Here is the answer as to how Our Lord differs from all the other priests -- pagan and Jewish. All other priests offered a victim distinct from themselves: e.g., a goat, a lamb, a bullock, but Christ offered Himself as a victim. "He offered Himself without blemish to God, a spiritual and eternal sacrifice" (Heb. 9:14).

Everyone else who ever came into this world, came into it to live; He came into it to die. Hemlock juice interrupted the teaching of Socrates. But sacrificial death was the goal of His Life, the gold that He was seeking: "I have a baptism to undergo, and what constraint I am under until the ordeal is over!" (Lk. 12:50).

He is both Offerer and Offered; both Priest and Victim. This deep secret of the Suffering Servant He did not develop in His public utterances, but reserved it for His disciples and future priests. To them alone did He unveil Isaiah 53, and only to them does He interpret His death as vicarious dying for sinners. 21

With his marvelous rhetorical gifts Sheen presents this paradoxical truth that Jesus is simultaneously both priest and victim as if he were slowly revolving an exquisitely cut gem. From every angle we see a different facet which helps us to enter into the mystery from yet another perspective. Permit me to share a lengthy excerpt in which he sets forth his theme and develops it with rare skill.

As a Priest He was sinless: "Which of you can prove me in the wrong?" (Jn. 8:46). "The angel answered: the Holy Spirit will come upon you and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; and for that reason the Holy Child to be born will be called Son of God" (Lk. 1:35). "I shall not talk much longer with you, for the prince of this world approaches. He has no rights over Me" (Jn. 14:30). "What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have You come to destroy us? I know Who You are .. the Holy One of God" (Mk. 1:24).

As a Victim He was identified with sinners: "God made Him one with the sinfulness of men, so that in Him we might be made one with the Goodness of God Himself" (2 Cor. 5:21).

As a Priest, He was holy with the Holiness of God;

As a Victim, He was "made sin."

As a Priest He was "separated" from the world;

As a Victim He came into it to fight against the Devil, the Prince of the world.

On the Cross, He was upright as a Priest;

On the Cross, He was prostrate as a Victim.

As a Priest, He mediated with the Father,

As Victim, He mediated for the sins of men.

Before Pilate, He spoke seven times as the Priest- Shepherd;

Before Pilate, He was silent seven times as the Victim-Lamb. As a Priest He has vertical relations with heaven;

As a Victim He has horizontal relations with earth.

As a Priest He had dignity;

As a Victim He suffered indignity.

As a Priest: God is alive;

As a Victim: God is dead.

As a Priest He prays to the Father that the Cup pass;

As a Victim He drinks it to its dregs.

St. Augustine, in his Confessions, interprets it well: Ideo Victor Quia Victima. As the ministry of Christ approached its climax, He more and more insisted that the victory over principalities and powers had to come through His sacrifice and death.

Christ personally was sinless, but He voluntarily bore imputed guilt. If He were only a priest, He would have stopped short of the Cross and the Resurrection. As our Representative, He was found guilty of blasphemy because we blasphemed; at the courts of Annas and Pilate, we sinners were on trial in the person of the Sinless Substitute. Though personally sinless, He was officially guilty. ...

The very sinlessness of His priesthood was the necessary basis of His work of sin-bearing. "Christ was innocent of sin, and yet for our sake God made Him one with the sinfulness of men, so that in Him we might be made one with the goodness of God Himself" (2 Cor. 5:21).22

III. Jesus' Heavenly Priesthood and Victimhood

Now there is another very important aspect of Jesus' priesthood and victimhood which we must consider: the heavenly dimension. In the Letter to the Hebrews, which is our most important source in the New Testament on the priesthood of Jesus, we are informed that

The former priests were many in number, because they were prevented by death from continuing in office: but he [Jesus] holds his priesthood permanently, because he continues for ever. Consequently he is able for all time to save those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them (Heb. 7:23-25).

Since his priesthood began when Christ took on our human nature and that human nature is now at the right hand of the Father in heaven, even so Jesus continues to exercise his priesthood there. This exercise is described in the Letter to the Hebrews in terms of the liturgy performed by the high priest on the annual Day of Atonement, the day which the Lord had appointed for expiating for the sins of Israel.23

In terms of this ritual the Epistle presents an image of Christ the King entering the heavenly sanctuary as a priest. Risen from the dead, he crosses the heavens, "a tent not made by human hands, not of this creation" (Heb. 9:11), that is, the place where God dwells, and he enters definitively the presence of God, the sanctuary (Heb. 9:12). The blood he bears which wins him admission is not the blood of goats or calves but his own blood which has won for us eternal redemption (ibid.). Christ has entered within the veil to the Holy of Holies into the presence of God (Heb. 6:20; 9:3; 10:20). It is in terms of this comparison with the liturgy of Expiations that Hebrews lays more stress on Christ's bearing his blood into the presence of God than on the actual shedding on Calvary. The slaughter outside the tent was secondary in the Jewish ritual; what constituted the sacrifice was the sprinkling of blood in the Holy of Holies. "This is why Jesus also, that he might sanctify the people by his own blood, suffered outside the gate" of Jerusalem (Heb. 13:12). Christians are come "to Jesus the mediator of the new Alliance and to the sprinkling of blood more eloquent than that of Abel" (Heb. 2:24). Evidently, the metaphor is maintained here; what is expressed by the sprinkling of blood is the presence of Christ, body and soul, before the Father, the submission of his humanity to Him and the intercession which he makes for us in virtue of his sacrifice.24

Admittedly, we are dealing with a mystery here. We are not saying that Jesus' death on Calvary was one sacrifice and that in heaven he offers another, that of his blood. We are rather speaking of two phases of the same exercise of his priesthood: the earthly phase and the heavenly one. As St. Paul emphatically states: "Christ being raised from the dead will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him" (Rom. 6:9). Yet, by the same token he continues as a priest to intercede for us at the right hand of the Father (cf. Heb. 7:25).25 Here is the way our Holy Father put it in an Angelus address on 13 August 1989:

Jesus is the eternal victim. Risen from the dead and glorified at the right hand of the Father, he preserves in his immortal body the marks of the wounds of his nailed hands and feet, of his pierced heart (cf. Jn. 20:27; Lk. 24:39-40) and presents them to the Father in his incessant prayer of intercession on our behalf (cf. Heb. 7:25; Rom. 8:34).26

In effect, Jesus intercedes by presenting his sacrifice to the Father who never tires of looking upon the wounds of his Son which are now radiant and glorious and by which the fruits of the redemption continue to be applied to us, especially in the Mass and in the sacraments. A. Jesus' Priesthood and Victimhood in the Mass

It is extremely important for us to strive to grasp this heavenly exercise of the priesthood of Christ in order to understand how we continue to benefit in the Mass and the sacraments from the one sacrifice of Jesus. In his ever fascinating manner Archbishop Sheen put it this way:

Using human words to describe Divine things, we can say that each time we offer Mass, Our Lord shows His Heavenly Father the scars in His hands, His feet and His side; for this very reason He kept them. At the Consecration of the Mass, we can imagine Our Lord as saying: "In My Hand I have engraven their hearts. Not for their worthiness, but for My love unto death, grant them graces through the Holy Spirit. My wounds healed, but My scars I kept, that I might always hold them up before Thee, O Father, as pledges of My love. If Thou couldst not strike in justice the sinful people because the uplifted hands of Abraham stood in the way, then shall not My Hands win for them that mercy I won for them on Calvary? I am not just a Sacerdos in æternum; I am a Victima in æternum."27

What the Archbishop expressed in these evocative words is nothing other than a restatement of the Church's traditional teaching on the sacrifice of the Mass. This is exactly what the priest expresses when he prays in the third Eucharist Prayer: "Look with favor on your Church's offering [oblationem], and see the Victim whose death has reconciled us to yourself [Hostiam, cuius voluisti immolatione placari]."

The new Catechism of the Catholic Church presents this doctrine on Christ's state as victim by quoting from the Council of Trent:

The sacrifice of Christ and the sacrifice of the Eucharist are one single sacrifice: 'The victim is one and the same: the same now offers through the ministry of priests, who then offered himself on the cross; only the manner of offering is different.' 'In this divine sacrifice which is celebrated in the Mass, the same Christ who offered himself once in a bloody manner on the altar of the cross is contained and is offered in an unbloody manner.'28

With particular reference to the separate consecration of the two species of bread and wine, Pius XII had underscored Jesus' state as victim in the Mass in this way in his great Encyclical Mediator Dei:

On the cross Christ offered to God the whole of Himself and His sufferings, and the victim was immolated by a bloody death voluntarily accepted. But on the altar, by reason of the glorious condition of His humanity "death no longer has dominion over Him" (Rom. 6:9), and therefore the shedding of His blood is not possible. Nevertheless, the divine wisdom has devised a way in which our Redeemer's sacrifice is marvellously shown forth by external signs symbolic of death. By the transubstantiation of bread into the body of Christ and of wine into His blood both His body and blood are rendered really present; but the eucharistic species under which He is present symbolise the violent separation of His body and blood, and so a commemorative showing forth of the death which took place in reality on Calvary is repeated in each Mass, because by distinct representations Christ Jesus is signified and shown forth in the state of victim. 29

After the consecration the priest says: "Let us proclaim the mystery of faith." It is precisely this mystery of faith which we have been trying to elucidate and penetrate. In the strict sense it always remains a mystery, something that is beyond the capability of our finite minds to grasp. Even if we don't know the how, we are capable of knowing the what. Jesus, who accomplished his role of priest and victim on the cross, is still priest and victim in heavenly glory and on our altars through the ministry of his priests.

B. Jesus' Priesthood and Victimhood in His Priests

There are surely more ramifications of this central mystery of faith. Here I should like to introduce one more and I will let Archbishop Sheen do it in his own inimitable way.

I was a priest without being a victim. The priest is one who offers to God; the victim is what is offered. In the Old Testament and in all pagan religions, what was offered was something distinct from the priest himself -- a lamb, an ox, a bullock. But when Our Blessed Lord came to this earth He changed all this. He, the Priest, was also the Victim. He did not offer something apart from Himself; He offered Himself. ...

Eventually I came to see that the Lord was teaching me not only to be a priest, but also to be a victim. This explains why two of the books which I authored are on this very subject.

I can remember when, after four months in the hospital, I began to recover; I was reading Mass on an altar constructed over the bed before a few priests and friends. I spontaneously gave a sermon, which I remember so well. I said that I was glad that I had open-heart surgery because when the Lord comes to take us all, He will look to see if we have any marks of the Cross upon ourselves. He will look at our hands to see if they are crucified from sacrificial giving; He will look at our feet to see if they have been thorn-bruised and nail-pierced searching for lost sheep; He will look at our heart to see if that has been opened to receive His Divine Heart. Oh what joy is mine just to have endured the minuscule imitation of His suffering on the Cross by having a wounded side. Maybe He will recognize me from that scar and receive me into His Kingdom.30

Quite evidently Archbishop Sheen considered the beginning of "the third stage" of his life as the point at which he accepted being both priest and victim.31 He doesn't tell us exactly when this occurred, but indicates in the introduction to The Priest is Not His Own, which appeared in 1963, that these thoughts began taking shape while he was writing his Life of Christ. 32 His second book, Those Mysterious Priests, was published in 1974. I have been quoting extensively from these books in this presentation because I believe that they are prophetic works which have a great deal to say about the nature Catholic priesthood. Sheen analyzes as few others, I believe, the malaise which afflicts the priesthood today. He saw the crisis coming over thirty years ago and so devoted the last years of his life to preaching retreats for priests and promoting among them a daily holy hour before the Blessed Sacrament. I will leave to him once again the specific application. He states the premise succinctly:

In the New Testament there is no priesthood without victimhood. In Christ the two were inseparable; therefore, they are united in every priest called to be an Ambassador of Christ. 33

Fulton Sheen was surely not the first to recognize the necessary connection between being a priest of Jesus Christ and a victim with him, but he did underscore this nexus in a particularly striking way with reference to the era in which we live. There are any number of luminous figures in the history of spirituality who exemplify this teaching. One thinks, for instance, of Sylvain-Marie Giraud, the second Superior General of the Missionaries of Our Lady of La Salette, whose masterpiece is considered to be his last work, Jesus Christ Priest and Victim. 34 Again one thinks of Saint Maximilian-Maria Kolbe, who offered one of his Masses his first Christmas as a priest for the intention "pro amore usque ad victimam [for love to the point of becoming a victim"35 and who received the grace requested by giving his life on behalf of another innocent victim.

Further, one might ponder with great profit one of the most important conclusions which the great Sulpician Scripture scholar André Feuillet draws in his classic book, The Priesthood of Christ and His Ministers, which is a sustained meditation on the high priestly prayer of Jesus in chapter 17 of the Gospel of John. This magnificent prayer, Feuillet states,

offers the great advantage, lacking in the letter to the Hebrews, of linking to the consecration of Christ as priest and victim the idea of a participation of the apostles in this consecration. ...

In the priestly prayer of Jesus, the latter makes it clear that he intends to govern, sanctify, and unify his Church through the apostles: to this end he gives them a share in his twofold consecration as priest and victim.36

Granting that Fulton Sheen had personally rediscovered what many before him had also come to understand of the mind of Christ Jesus for his anointed ones, let us allow Sheen to draw out some important ramifications of his discovery which seem particularly pertinent to our postconciliar era:

In continuing the Mediatorial office of Christ, the priest-victim, is to be holy and unholy; holy, because in intimacy with the Father; unholy, because He will never deny His responsibility for the wickedness of men. The basic reason for the confusion in the ministry of Christ in the last few decades has been: the identification of the priesthood with liturgy and ceremony instead of with holiness: and the identification of victimhood with social action rather than with human guilt. The priest was linked with the altar; the victim with poverty exclusively, rather than with human frailty and ignorance and suffering. Once the priesthood no longer meant a vertical relation to the Holiness of God, and the victimhood no longer a horizontal relation to all men who have come short of the glory of God, then the priest was chained in the sanctuary and the victim to the inner city. 37

His final conclusion is this:

The divorce of husband and wife endangers the children; the divorce of priest and victim harms the Church. But once the priest is holy because the Lord is holy, once the priest is victim because the sinless Christ died for sinners, then the wounds of the Church become glorious scars.

[nepobabyeurydice]

smoke and blood (1113 words) by adaimperium Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence Relationships: Annabeth Chase & Jason Grace Characters: Annabeth Chase (Percy Jackson), Jason Grace, Thalia Grace (haunting the narrative) Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, should be canon, Annabeth Chase & Jason Grace Friendship, Annabeth Chase is Bad at Feelings, Jason Grace Needs a Hug, Families of Choice, Underage Smoking, Fucked Up Childhood Reminiscing, Wordcount: 1.000-3.000 Series: Part 15 of a one-shot by any other name Summary:

Jason shudders and pulls his blanket closer as Annabeth just shifts inside her own blue blanket plastered with a huge smiling cartoon Thor.

“Chris Rodriguez?” Jason guesses, motioning to the blanket with his chin.

Annabeth smiles wanly. “Luke, actually. Come sit with me, Jason.”

Annabeth and Jason smoke on the roof of Hera’s Cabin and discuss Thalia Grace and Camp Jupiter.

.x.

.x.

Jason couldn’t sleep.

The thunder in Cabin 1 picked up and usually, Jason could fall asleep before it reached this stage, but something kept him up as he curled up in Thalia’s old cot.

Annabeth had said something about a bed with a canopy and sound-proof curtains. About raising a platform and setting up more beds. A set of six, she had said. Three and three, Zeus had a tendency to keep these kinds of things, even like that. Castor and Helen, Herakles and Aegyptus, Hebe and Ares, Jason and Thalia.

He really needed to stop coming back to Thalia. He tried his best to be content with the mortal P.O box that he sent letters to in hopes that one day he’d get an answer to his questions.

Questions he had had all his life but no one dared answer. Questions that were so stupid, sometimes he wondered what he was doing with his life.

Jason sighs, and rolls off Thalia’s— his cot, and cringes at the freezing marble floor of the cabin-shrine. He gathers the gag gift of the Lightning McQueen blanket Chris Rodriguez had given him and pads across the floor to the door. Shooting a wary look at the Hippie Zeus Statue in case it had the mystical ability to summon the harpies, Jason slips out of his Cabin.

It’s freezing out, the cold chilling him to the bone and reminding him of Boreas’s palace in Quebec. Thinking about that first quest had him wondering if Piper and Leo were still awake, if he might be able to let some of his pent-up fears that haunted that cabin finally leave the vault of his chest.

He stands on the porch, hesitating and deliberating if it would be better to go back into freezing, thundering Cabin 1 when he spots the smoke on top of Hera’s Cabin. He frowns, Lightning McQueen blanket dragging behind him, as he squints up at the roof of Cabin 2. A smoke ring comes from the roof and it clicks.

Awkwardly, not wanting to let go of his nice, warm blanket, Jason floats upwards and lands on the freezing roof of Cabin 2.

“It’s a filthy habit,” Annabeth says, a languid half-smirk on her face as she shows off the cigarette in between her fingers. “I know.”

Jason shudders and pulls his blanket closer as Annabeth just shifts inside her own blue blanket plastered with a huge smiling cartoon Thor.

“Chris Rodriguez?” Jason guesses, motioning to the blanket with his chin.

Annabeth smiles wanly. “Luke, actually. Come sit with me, Jason.”

He had never spoken to Annabeth privately, not like Leo when he wanted her opinion on the Argo II or Piper wanted to talk with someone who wasn’t her half-siblings. 

He wants to change that, he realizes. He wants to get to know his sister’s sister and understand why Annabeth Chase is so beloved in the eyes of Chiron and Thalia. Wants to understand why he and her were not the trade instead of him and Perseus. 

What wrath did the gods fear for someone as well-loved as her to not be taken? Did they fear Perseus? Thalia? Or both, angry and seeking their lover and sister throughout the world.

Jason wonders if anyone is still looking for him. Probably not. It’s been a month and as much as he knew Reyna wouldn’t let him be declared, so swiftly, the legion needed a new leader.

Jason eyes the cigarette, then makes a decision. “Got another one?”

Annabeth smiles and pulls out a match from somewhere and strikes it against the marble. It shouldn’t ignite. It still does.

She easily lights a cigarette and hands it over to Jason. He awkwardly sticks it into his mouth and inhales through it, coughing as he expels the smoke from his mouth.

“Di immortales,” he rasps out. Annabeth throws back her head and laughs.

“And here I was starting to think you were stuck up, Jason.” she says, gray eyes gleaming with amusement. 

“My centurion,” Jason says with amusement, “would beg to differ. I drove her insane with all my radical ideas of renaming the 12th Legion to the 1st Legion.”

He sticks the cigarette in his mouth again and inhales through his nose, having a bit more success in not coughing like an idiot.

“He’s in California, isn’t he.” Annabeth states, voice abruptly dull. “I really don’t want to go back there.”

“Bad memories?”

She closes her eyes and blows out a plume of smoke. When her eyes open, she picks out a star and clearly tries to use it to keep him from seeing the tears in her eyes. Too bad, Jason had been doing that trick since he was six.

“He showed up to my house before it all went down. Asked me to go with him. I refused, and now he’s dead. Sometimes I wonder—”

“You were fifteen.” Jason says firmly. “When I was fifteen, I fought the Trojan Sea Monster after one of my cohort mates angered Neptune so much he wanted a repeat. Turns out, she was planning on joining Krios on Mount Tam and betraying us. I executed her myself. When adults make us do stuff despite us not even being close to having a fully developed brain, it’s on them., not us.”

“Holy Hades.” Annabeth mutters, making a three—fingered claw and pushing it away from her chest. Surprisingly, Jason felt better as a bitter cold dug into his skin through his Lightning McQueen blanket. “That’s fucked up.”

Jason nods and takes another puff of his cigarette. Annabeth follows suit, discarding her Thor blanket and letting the cold in as she makes a smoke ring.

“I miss her. Thalia that is. We used to go around the East Coast, hunting monsters and the past and never looking back. It was a happy time. I think you might’ve been happier with us, hungry and cold with only hammers as weapons, instead of with the Romans.” she says. “You would’ve learned what it meant to be on the run from everything connected to your past.”

“I didn’t think I had one.” Jason admits. “I thought I had sprung from Jupiter’s head like Minerva and just been given to Lupa straight after. I hardly remember Thalia, but I think I already love her more than I can bear.”

“She and Percy have that in common.” Annabeth agrees. “They’re both impossible not to love with everything you have in you.”

They both sit on that cabin roof, talking, until a cow starts mooing below them and the sun starts rising.

It’s better than sleeping in a marble coffin.

#heroes of olympus #jason grace #annabeth chase #fanfic #fanfiction #cw smoking

[umaficwriter]

Hey guys! I updated my Kalijah playlist and below there’s a explanation for why this songs were chosen. Enjoy! Xx

Enchanted (Taylor Swift) - they feeling Katerina had when she first met Elijah

Dancing With Our Hands Tied (Taylor Swift) - the sensation creeping in that they wanted to be together, although there was something in the way, still their stolen moments made them not give up

Give Me Love (Ed Sheehan) - Elijah tries to keep Katerina interested in him instead of his brother, even though he knows the reason she’s there and that they can’t be fully together, still he wants her to fancy him, not Niklaus.

Mercy (Shawn Mendes) - Elijah já overwhelmed by her presence, he tries to deny it and escape her presence with no success.

hostage (Billie Eilish) - Katerina is bestowed to Klaus, although all she wanted was for Elijah to take her away

Run Away (Cary Brothers) - Elijah discovers Katerina flew. He can’t blame her. He fears for her safety and is broken that another attempt in love of his went wrong.

Decode (Paramore) - now Katerina understands why Klaus always had blood on him without ever being hurt, why Elijah had such an odd behavior. They’re vampires.

Find You (Nick Jonas) - Elijah starts looking at Katerina around the world. He knows he has to take her to his brother, although he also knows that once he does find her, he won’t.

Fool’s Gold (Niall Hiram) - with every day that passes, Elijah is closer to the conclusion he won’t find her unless she wants too. Still, he doesn’t let any stone interned. He’s a fool for her.

In My Veins (Andrew Belle) - they can’t escape each other. Elijah was always close to her, no matter where she went. It was like running from your shadow.

How You Remibd Me (Nickelback) - he sees her once. She’s so close, he could smell her, almost feel her skin, she’s nothing but pure sin now. Katherine Pierce was her name now. He was in love with the devil, after all.

Take Me To Church (Hozier) - she lets him approach her. He asks the Gods he believes in to save his soul when his brother finds out. She was his downfall.

Bend the Rules (Niall Hiram) - she does not stay for long. For she knows Klaus is gonna find out about them. She doesn’t want Elijah to suffer his wrath, so she flees.

Just In Love (Joe Jonas) - Elijah ia willing to sacrifice his family for her. He does not though.

Gravity (Sara Bareilles) - they gravitate to one another again, for a short time though.

Only Forever (Demi Lovato) - he’s gonna wait for her, only forever.

Tomorrow Never Came (Lana Del Rey) - she wants to run with him again. She’s doesn’t.

Cruel Summer (Taylor Swift) - they have their last summer together before the end.

august (Taylor Swift) - Katerina arrives in Mystic Falls, without knowing that Elijah kept tabs on her. Turns out, she falls in love with the Salvatore brothers, alluding them to believe she’s good for them. Maybe they weren’t meant to be.

The Last Time (Taylor Swift) - its the last time he tries and reaches for her. She does not choose him.

Stuck (Imagine Dragons) - he goes and tries to find a replacement for her. He cannot.

Meet Me In The Hallway (Harry Styles) - both try not to compare their parters to one another. They caught themselves thinking about their relationship multiple times.

exile (Taylor Swift) - Elijah receives word of her playing with the Salvatore. He feels sad for them, although jealous, because he wasn’t the one holding her attention.

Arms or a Stranger (Niall Horan) - he sees her with the brothers. He feels stupid for still Cary such feelings for this façade.

Cherry (Harry Styles) - Elijah knows is foolish this sentiment of possession he has for her, still he selfishly cultivates it.

Jealous (Nick Jonas) - why would Katerina want this humans? These projects or men, when she could have him?

Dancing With a Stranger (Sam Smith) - they blame each other for their current relationship situation.

From the Dinning Table (Harry Styles) - Elijah nurses the possibility of her coming back into his arms.

Everywhere (Niall Hiram) - he receives word of her death and shuts off every emotion towards her that was still left. Although, everywhere he goes, he sees her.

Chainsaw (Nick Jonas) - he wants to forget everything they had. He hates the places they’ve been together.

Almost (DNCE) - he contemplates what he could’ve done differently. They were an immense amount of “what if’s”

Let Me Go (3 Doors Down) - he finds out she’s alive after all. She faked her own death. Elijah is livid. He wants vengeance.

What A Time (Julia Michaels) - he comes to conclusion all they have lived was a beautiful lie. One only he believed in.

I Don’t Wanna Live Forever (ZAYN) - they almost stumble on each other. Life seems to make no sense if they’re not close.

False God (Taylor Swift) - he tried to rescue her from herself. Elena tells him his brother has Katerina. His plotting something to free her. He still loves her. Stupid.

All I Want (Kodaline) - Katherine thinks Elijah is still daggared. And when he wakes up, he thinks she’s dead.

Set Fire to The Third Bar (Snow Patrol) - they start to look for each other again, in spite the terrible odds for them to stay together this time again.

My Heart Will Go On (Celine Dion) - they still have issues they need to attend to before being together.

Treacherous (Taylor Swift) - the familiarity is still there, but they need to be careful regarding their hearts.

Don’t Forget (Demi Lovato) - there’s a cure and they almost spilt up again regarding it.

Call It What You Want (Taylor Swift) - everyone knows they’re together now. Call if whatever. Katherine and Elijah are a thing!

You And Me (Niall Horan) - they take a time away to contemplate their relationship.

Delicate (Taylor Swift) - Elena informs him that Katherine killed Jeremy. Her reputation have never been worse, still he stands with her, in spite of his brain telling him not to.

Hands to Myself (Selena Gomez) - Katherine plans to show Elijah why he’s the luckiest man to have her all to himself.

Wildest Dreams (Taylor Swift) - they have a getaway. She can’t believe she’s with him again.

I Know Places (Taylor Swift) - they have to hide in order to be together.

Getaway Car (Taylor Swift) - they have to part ways again. Or at least, pretend.

I Think He Knows (Taylor Swift) - Katherine assumes Elijah knows everything that runs in that pretty little head or hers. And when he doesn’t, he’ll discover in the most delicious way possible.

I Love You (Little Mix) - she tells him.

Afterglow (Taylor Swift) - she can’t handle him going back to his brother again. But she can’t see him down either.

This Love (Taylor Swift) - once again they decide it’s better ifcthwy part ways. He kisses her forehead and she watches him leave.

Holding Us Back (Katie Herzig) - maybe they weren’t meant to be after all. There was always something holding them back. Maybe she just liked the song of “I love you” when said to him.

Battlefield (Lea Michele) - they keep hurting each other even though they love each other. It’s like q war they’ll never win.

this is me trying (Taylor Swift) - Katherine is human. And even though she knows going to NOLA is walking into the Lion’s den, she has to look Elijah in the eye and ask him for them to try again.

Why (Shawn Mendes) - she’s his disease.

Love Me Or Leave Me (Little Mix) - he tells her it’s complicated and that he can’t, not right now.

Stay (Gabrielle Aplin) - so she’s going away.

Who Knew (P!nk) - she was such a full for believing he would help her now she was human. Living him was her greatest mistake.

I Have Questiona (Camila Cabello) - although, she would not leave without a conversation. He would listen to what she had to say.

All too Well (Taylor Swift) - she felt like a crumpled piece of paper. Seemed like she wasn’t important enough. Stupid human emotions.

Between the Lines (Sara Bareilles) - Katherine saw the way Hayley looked at him. We’re they an item? Oh foolish Katerina, it appears like ‘Lijah is over you, came Klaus grin as he inserted the needle in her vein.

Don’t Make me Choose (Nick Jonas) - he just wanted Katerina to understand that although she was priority in his life, family was always and forever.

Dress (Taylor Swift) - they have no idea about them. Nor Klaus, nor Marcel or Hayley, not even the witches. She would die to keep them in secret. He would too.

Slow Dancing in a Burnibg Room (John Mayer) - and when they do find out, they take bets on how long’s gonna last.

Don’t Blame Me (Taylor Swift) - even though human, she kills for him, for his family. She’s one of them now.

Cross Your Mind (Niall Horan) - she wants him to turn her. He won’t budge his strong opinion against it.

See no More (Joe Jonas) - Elijah should’ve known Katherine Pierce would strike again.

Rare (Selena Gomez) - she thought she meant more for him than that.

Oceans (Seafret) - they’re distant.

Too Good At Goodbyes (Sam Smith) - “we say goodbye so many times around, Katerina, that it doesn’t surprise me anymore, nor hurt me that much.I’m numb.” The look on her face is uterly hurt.

the 1 (Taylor Swift) - she leaves him.

Say Somwthing (A Great Big World) - otavthwir ultimatum.

Samson (Regina Spektor) - she was his weakness. She explored her knowledge of him in all the ways she knew of. She’d hurt him. He has her as well.

hoax (Taylor Swift) - their love was their hoax. No other sadness in the world would do.

Poison & Wine (The Civil Wars) - “I don’t love you, but I always will”

Young and Beautiful (Lana Del Rey) - she confronts him on why he doesn’t want to turn her. “Will you still love me, when I’m not young and beautiful anymore, Elijah?”

Goodbye (Avril Lavigne) - she dies in his arms. Without knowing if she’ll come back as a vampire.

Make It Without You (Andrew Belle) - Elijah does not think she’ll come back anymore. So he asks for the witches help.

The Night We Met (Lord Huron) - things were so much esier back when they first met. Because now he had none of her.

Never Let me Go (Florence & The Machine) - Katerina wakes up as a vampire again after days. Elijah promises he will never let her go.

Be my Queen (Seafret) - Klaus can be king all he wants. The Queen of Elijah’s kingdom was Katerina Petrova.

Forever And a Night (Little Big Town) - they wanted to be together forever and always. Armors down.

Daylight (Taylor Swift) - “And I can still see it all in my mind, all of you, all of me intertwined”

Fine Line (Harry Styles) - they were going to be alright.

For Katherine and Elijah

With love: umaficwriter

#song #taylor swift #spotify #lyrics #couple #cw #playlist #tvd #kalijah shipper #kalijah songfic #kalijah playlist #kalijah #katherine and elijah #katerina petrova #katherine pierce #elijah mikaelson #daniel gillies #nina #nina dobrev #enchanted #speak now #the vampire diaries #vampire diaries #ed sheeran #give me love #reputation #dancing with our hands tied #mercy #shawn mendes #hostage

[encyclopika]

18 & 20 For the ask game!!!!!!!!

THANK YOU SO MUCH KAT!!! <3 God this is long.

From this writer’s ask game...feel free to send me some asks!!! :D

Gonna link the stories here for reference and for anyone interested in reading!

The Missing Series // Fire and Brimstone

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18. Do any of your stories have alternative versions? (plotlines that you abandoned, AUs of your own work, different characterisations?) Tell us about them.

Yes, ma’am! First I’m going to say that most do not, but the Missing series, particularly all that concerning Asuka and Ai, does in a big way...particularly the completely altered timeline that follows them if she doesn’t go away. You’ve seen the comic, where Ai doesn’t lose her nerve that snowy day and makes it obvious to him she also has stock in a deeper relationship. Yeah, that one. I’m currently working on more short comics from that timeline. Not necessarily a whole story, but snippets from that fluffier timeline. But that also means a few things happen differently - for one, Krow doesn’t join the Ryukyu offices, mostly because, in that timeline, he’s allowed to fulfill his own heroic story faster than he can in Missing. He’s not actually a rescue hero, but he doesn’t have Ai around in the main series to come into that as quickly. 

I also almost went harder on Ochako’s duality in Missing, almost making Uravity a separate entity that was starting to hate Ochako’s bullshit. I honestly hated that and clearly didn’t do that. Instead, the duality is more “in her head” than anything. This idea kinda comes out in Krow and Asuka instead.

Additionally, there was, once upon a time, an alternative “Missing”, in which Deku chooses not to return to Tokyo for the Pyromancer case, and Ochako faces him alone. It gets obnoxiously dark and gritty, to the point where I’ve taken that OnO fuel and split it between Escape Artists and my little-known horror project Downpour I’ve been working on in not-secret. But, yeah, that’s definitely an abandoned plotline...*shudders*.

There are small details here and there that I changed in both Missing and Missing Out that created alts, mostly concerning Deku and how he fights baddies/figures things out, name changes for OCs, The Ring’s and Pyromancer’s whole identities changed, and Irina’s characterization has really gone through the ringer (from being another lovable asshole bird like Krow that simply gets on his nerves, to being a dangerous, but important antagonist). I also had Deku introduce the idea that people’s quirks can kill them in Missing because I intended to explore it more, and I’m not sure if that’s totally abandoned... 

Thanks for asking this one. <3

--

20. Tell us the meta about your writing that you really want to ramble to people about (symbolism you’ve included, character or relationship development that you love, hidden references, callbacks or clues for future scenes?)

Yes. 

All of that. I don’t wanna toot my own horn, but I live for hidden messages, references, callbacks, foreshadowing and symbolism. The Missing series (and to a lesser extent, Fire and Brimstone) is simply overflowing with these things...there’s so much that even with all of the people who have read it, there are still gems and Easter Eggs left to be discovered. And, before I get into it and make this post obscenely long, my reasoning for doing this is simple - I want you to read my fics again...I want to have reread value. 

I’m going to put it under a cut in case anyone wants to discover them for themselves and also general spoils. Here are the ones I’m MOST proud of or that make me laugh or, dare I say it, make me feel smart. This is not an exhaustive list, and of course, I’m not pointing out any future Missing series meta for sake of spoilers.

Titling 

Titles, titles, titles, girl you know I love titles. I’m a title SNOB. And I do A LOT of fun things with titles, such as:

1. Using the title of the fic as a buzz word and callback to the theme. 

I get real obnoxious with this in the Missing series. The overarching theme of Missing is, well, missing people, particularly in the vain of heartache, loss, and longing. And I put it everywhere:

From Missed Chance:

Despite keeping steadfast to her goals and to her future, she knew that for a long time, she'd be missing him.

From Missing:

Today, there would be an update. As much as she wished it weren't so, the only time she saw Deku was when it had to do with Pyromancer or for a brief moment before leaving the police station in the mornings. Any other time, she was missing him.

“I miss you.”

...

“I'm always missing you.” 

That's probably how he wanted it - being Asuka, the one still missing Ai, was too painful.

It couldn't ever be the same again, and Ochako was happy for it, feeling like her life was now so full.

And not a thing was missing.

From Missing Out:

“Miss me?”

“Only a little.”

But even when she was being annoying as hell, I craved her, like I knew I'd miss her. 

Still, after all that time in the cold, her lips seemed like a warm reprieve...if I could have ever gotten there...

I miss her.

I'm always missing her.

^This one’s a double whammy, for obvious reasons.

2. Using chapter titles to run with a theme, too.

This only happens in Missing and Missing Out, but, look:

Chapter titles for Missing are the life of a fire and also follow the level of stress in the fic, as well as Ochako’s feelings: Hot Coals, Rekindling, Reignited, On Fire, Blazing, Inferno, Burn Out, Backdraft

Those words are used in their respective chapters too AND we run through them when Ochako is considering confessing or not in the last chapter.

I pull the same kind of crap in Missing Out, except all the chapter titles are things Ai gave to Asuka. If it’s an object, the object is in the chapter, otherwise, it’s stated in the chapter, too.: A Desperate Lie, Lunch, Skills, Home, No Conditions, Second Chances, Worry, Agony. It’s also in reference to this, because kill me, I guess.

Bonus: Since the story is told from within the theatre of Asuka’s memories, the titles for chapters 7 and 8, “Worry” and “Agony”, are spoiled in Chapter 6 here:

I didn't know I'd missed my last shot at telling her...I didn't know that I really would be missing out on a life with her.

Because everything after this is worry and agony.

BONUS BONUS - THE TITLE OF THE FIC APPEARS HERE TOO BECAUSE I’M OBNOXIOUS.

3. Title allusions and character.

Particularly for “Fire and Brimstone”, the title sounds like it’s just about the main boys, Katsuki = Fire, and Kirishima = Brimstone. BUT BUT BUT it’s also referencing biblical shit, which is appropriate, given it’s an Angel/Demon AU. It refers to God’s wrath when people use it loosely, but it is also the torment in hell for the deadly sin lust. *hint hint nudge nudge*

--

Okay that’s enough about titles. How about the fact that 

Krow is a Crow

So many little crow quirks, lore, and bullshit is put into this character, like wow.

1. The entire concept of his quirk is all about crow lore, in that they are often connected with death in a number of cultures. This is why, although he doesn’t like to explain it, his quirk isn’t literally a sense of smell, but a little more mystical than that. It’s a sense. His quirk also references the Carrion Crow, Corvus corone, for which he’s based, which is a scavenger and is heavily associated with carrion and is native to Japan.

2. The green and purple iridescence of his wings are also referred from the Carrion Crow in particular. 

3. What’s not overly obvious is that crows and ravens have positive lore too - in a number of cultures they are guides and messengers, sometimes to people, sometimes to Gods, which Krow fulfills to both Ochako and Ai (with Ai’s quirk, she could be compared to a goddess, for which he acts as the messenger - this was how she figured their partnership would work). Krow kind of puts this and the negative lore together when he explains his quirk for real in Missing Out:

 As a teenager, I ignored them. Death is everywhere and it usually isn't important. Whatever messages they need sending, I'm not the crow they're looking for.

He also actually has a messenger bag in Missing Out.

4. It’s referenced in Missing and outright admitted in Missing Out that he’s inexplicably attracted to shiny things, which is more or less also crow lore, rather than fact, but still. 

5. Krow’s name “Asuka” is a unisex name that refers to scents, but also birds and flight. There are a bunch of different refs that say differently, but I’m sticking with that. “Dakuro” is Engrish for “Dark”, which, if you really wanna meta, is actually his last name, considering his father is British. “Dakuro” is just how the Japanese people around him pronounce it. XD

6. He admits to collecting random shit he finds aesthetic, in reference to hoarding and collecting as crows do. 

7. Asuka and Ai’s “lunch for quirk fodder” exchange, as well as his giving her the necklace and the box of quirk fodder, is in direct reference to this adorable true story.

8. Asuka speaks more than one language and is capable of mimicry during his “feral response” while fighting the Bear Trap Villain. This is in reference to the fact that crows and ravens are capable of mimicking human speech like parrots.

9. Asuka likes to sit in high places and watch people, and squats in tree for the majority of Missing Out and often bitches about walking anywhere, unless it’s to protect Ai. He has the mentality of a bird. He’s also built like a bird, with hollow bones and air sacs to assist his properly sized wings during flight.

10. He’s actually incredibly intelligent, and uses it to finagle out of tough situations and generally be a trickster, as is crow/raven lore, but crows/ravens are considered the smartest group of birds besides parrots. Unfortunately, this gets balanced out by the fact he’s a teenage human boy, which makes him lazy and capable of dumbass moments. 

11. The murder investigations - there’s a number of instances where Krow can’t help but be drawn to death from his death sense in both Missing and Missing Out. He can’t stop himself from investigating the building Pyro is hiding in, the murder warehouse, and when Ai dies. Crows and ravens will gather around fallen comrades in a mix of mourning and also in an effort to try and figure out what happened and if that threat still pertains to them. 

:3 Birb <3

--

Secret Messages and Tells and Foreshadowing and Symbolism

-In Missed Chance, the duality split of Ochako and Uravity is referenced as happening at a particular moment. Throughout Missing, Uravity is treated as apart from Ochako until the end of Missing where they “agree” on letting Deku help. It’s a duality of self representation.

-At the end of Missing, I’m hoping its clear everyone but Iida was in on leaving the two of them alone. Aoyama initiates it by leaving first.

-There are at least two instances where there’s heavy foreshadowing of the end of chapter 7, once with Aoyama:

“Then where in this overcrowded city?”

“I see. Among the clouds, then.*”

And again with Deku:

“That's a relief. Now, I just need to make sure I don't float myself into the stratosphere and you'll be right!”

-There is SO MUCH symbolism related to flying and birds, I can’t really put it all here, but it’s there. Also so much symbolism to fire in Missing, not only with Pyro’s quirk, but Ochako’s feelings..

-Krow reacts to a memory of Ai before we know she exists (since he’s hiding it) while they are interrogating Necromancer: “That’s not bringing them back. That’s nothing like bringing them back.” He also lets it slip a bit that he’d speaking from experience when ragging on Ochako about Deku. Deku also introduces the idea that people’s quirks can kill them in the same chapter, which is in reference to Ai, but also what ends up happening to Ochako, more or less.

-If you replace Ai’s name with the literal meaning of her name in some sentences of Missing and Missing Out, the UwU angst goes up to an 11. Here’s the one that’s particularly the gut punch:

Ai saved me in every way someone could be saved.

[Love] saved me in every way someone could be saved.

-End of chapter 5 of Missing Out, No Conditions, it should be obvious as hell that if Ai wasn’t in love with Asuka before, she certainly is now. Particularly in the gift box scene, he gives her...butterflies...right? 

-Ai is compared to the winter throughout Missing Out. This is more in reference to what she means to Asuka than anything else. Winter, as a season, is the great equalizer and although things die in the winter, it is also necessary to the bloom in spring. This refers to the shift in Asuka’s life because of her - his villain life ends and his hero life begins. 

-In fact, that whole scene in the snow is based off this gif, particularly the alt comic. It’s of two crows sitting in the snow kissing UwU.

-In both Fire and Brimstone and Missing Out, it should be getting pretty obvious I like to have my winged beasties flutter their wings when they’re in love. 

--

Referencing Literature & Real Life & Pop Culture/Memes

-Pyromancer’s first crime in Alaska is based off the McCarthy, Alaska massacre where a lone gunman gunned down 6 of the 22 residents and injured more. Guy almost killed the entire town. Pyromancer actually did.

-I’ve referred to “The Raven” by Edgar Allen Poe a number of times, particularly in Krow’s famous line

“Nevermore, bitch!”

But I also referenced the Telltale Heart, The Cask of Amontillado, Frankenstein, The Wizard of Oz, and fanfiction in general. 

-There’s a pop culture reference in Fire and Brimstone from Bioshock where Shinso says:

“Would you kindly go repent at the alter? Ashido is waiting.”

And I love it a lot, because in Bioshock SPOILERS, “would you kindly” is the trigger phrase that’s supposedly controlling the player, Jack, to do things for Atlas and in canon, Shinso’s quirk is brainwashing. Mineta upon hearing it just goes “okay” and promptly does what Shinso tells him. Shinso’s brainwashing is also referred to by Mineta just before that:

“Or get brainwashed into believing fairy tales,” Mineta said flatly from beside the Angel.

-There is indeed a motherfucking JoJo’s reference in Missing. And there’s more memes where that came from.

-Krow’s use of “my guy”, “lit” etc etc. is self explanatory. He is a whole ass meme chicken.

-In fact, I call Krow and the other birds of the Missing series “chickens” because of the meme of the girl pointing to a bunch of geese saying “look at all these chickens!” In fact, Irina calls and will call Krow a “cock” in Missing Out and Escape Artists, and it’s kind of a more sinister play on this. Transplant and Keeper, during their convo in Missing Out refer to the women captive under Keeper part of her “henhouse” and that she’d need a “rooster” to go through with her plans. Krow also refers to his fight with Irina as a “cockfight”.

-I’m not religious, but the lore is fun to allude to. The religious references should be clear in Fire & Brimstone, and a lot of the words I use relate to the topic, even casually in the narration, but also when the characters say “like hell!” Also in F&B, the real Angelic hierarchy shapes much of the worldbuilding, as do the references to real life racism, police brutality, and other shit like that.

In Missed Chance, the sun coming through the window puts a “halo” around Deku.

In Missing Out, Krow refers to demons on a number of occasions, sometimes towards himself, his family (which in comes the irony, since they look like Angels), but towards the end, it’s used to explain Ai’s mental illness. There are also these choice lines that entertain the notion of heaven and hell:

  Below us was hell – mothers with agendas, school, dipshits, murderous villains, oh my! But up there? It was just us...

I was under no illusions about a heaven...hell certainly exists back down on the ground but I've been high enough now to rule the other place out. Unless this cold, quiet nothingness is supposed to be the intuitive opposite to the chaotic, unfair bullshit below.

-There’s a lot of references and characters with mental illnesses - psychosis, sociopathy, anxiety, depression and PTSD are all explored. In fact, Krow’s tendency to laugh at everything and get triggered by certain events (all of Missing Out is the result of him triggering himself in order to make Ochako realize her mistake) is a tell-tale sign he suffers greatly from PTSD, and Ai’s mental breakdowns are indicative of the anxiety I myself suffer from. Honestly, I just wanted some fics that look into it. 

-In the same strain, all of the characters in Missing present different coping mechanisms towards what first-responders actively go through irl. Much of that was taken from my own life as someone with police in the family and being married to a firefighter/EMT.  

--

Okay, that’s enough. Hope you enjoyed...I certainly had fun outlining all of it XD

#izuocha #my hero academia #uraraka ochako #my hero fanfiction #Missing Out #Fire and Brimstone #Missing #kiribaku #oc: Krow #writers ask games #encyclopika talk #THANK YOUUUUU

[padfootagain]

A Crimson Christmas (I)

Chapter 1: Saint-Malo

Here I am with a brand new series for my winter event 2019! I am answering the fake dating trope for Steve Rogers :)

Get ready to dive in some mystery for the holidays ;) It's not gonna be just fluff… although there will be some fluff, no worries!

Oh, and… canon? I don't know her.

I'm also very excited with this one, because I've decided to set the story in France, in one of my favourite places, that is not so far from my hometown. So I'm having extra fun with it :)

I hope you all like it!

Gif not mine

Word Count : 4086

There is a mystery in this story.

Or, actually, there are three mysteries tied up together in the events that will unfold here.

The first, and probably the most cryptic of all, concerns the circumstances of the death of a gentleman named Jean Le Kennec.

The second, and probably the most devastating of all, has to deal with the delivery of a package on Christmas Eve.

The third, and probably the most important of all, is to link with a man and a woman spending Christmas together because of a lie.

In order to describe the story as well as it deserves to be told, one should get a pretty accurate image of the city where the events will unfold, for the place itself is like a character in this tale. To do that, one should picture France first. Get as far west as you can on this tiny hexagon, then make your way North to the beautiful region of Brittany.

Landscapes as beautiful and wild as the ocean the land dives into, this part of France is one of the most interesting places you can go to in this country. Because of the magic of the landscapes, yes, but also because of the mystical atmosphere that hovers over the land. Houses of stones batted by the raging salty wind and heavy rains, boats of wood cracking through angry storms, and a past filled with druids, fairies and magic. The Celtic culture goes on there through the peculiar tongue still used by some, typical of this region, but also through the legends of disappeared ships, pirates and lost treasures, and Merlin and fairies in the Broceliande forest, of a king and a sword in a stone wandering there, and menhirs rising through fields to praise estranged gods.

In a word, this place is perfect for the kind of mystery this story will describe.

Concerning the inhabitants of this region, one would give a fairly accurate description of their character with ‘pig-headed but loyal’. Stubbornness is a common trait, and most might describe the people of Brittany as reluctant to change and foreigners, which might make them seem a little cold. But once you’ve earned their trust, there are no more loyal and generous people than them… in France at least.

Two more things need to be known about this local eccentric people, and they have to do with food. A 'galette' is a salty preparation, specialty of this part of France. It is basically like a salty version of a pancake made with a different kind of flour and filled, most of the time, with ham, cheese and an egg. They are not to be mistaken with 'crêpes', the dessert of the traditional meal. It is often filled with butter, or sugar, or chocolate, or salty caramel. Both have this similar form of a large and thin pancake, but the crêpes are sweet, and the two courses are made with very different recipes and flours. And Brittany people are a tiny bit touchy about the difference. Someone mistaking the two would have without a doubt once been thrown into a dungeon. Today, it is met with a tired sigh, and an explanation of the difference presented with a tone that truly means to tell 'if you make that mistake again, I will kidnap you in the middle of the night and throw you into the ocean during the next storm’.

The second element of food you need to know if you want to survive amongst this people is salty butter. Do not attempt to use sweet butter. The inhabitants will judge you and will think that, here again, the place where you belong is located closer to the bottom of the ocean than amongst them if you try. It is properly an insult to their entire culture.

Now that the people of Brittany have been introduced, let’s focus closer to where our story will take place. In Brittany, go all the way North until you hit the ocean, and a tiny bit to the East. You will find a tiny dot on the map there that indicates Saint-Malo.

The town stretches nowadays from the sea to further in the land, all the way along the beaches of brown sand. But this story takes place in the oldest part of town, around the castle.

Built on the edge of the sea, the castle is now the home of the city hall. All around it and a number of buildings, tall walls were erected to fight both the wild storms that strike the shores in winter, and enemy invaders.

Most of this part of town was rebuilt after the second world war, most of its buildings being destroyed by bombings and a large fire that tore to the ground up to 80% of the medieval houses that once stood there. The economic development of the town throughout the XVII and XVIIIth century, through the activities of the harbour, also led to some radical changes in the architecture of the town during that time. This was when the tall walls surrounded the city were built. The reconstruction of the destroyed town went on after the second world war to match in spirit the buildings that remained and yet expand the size of the streets to match the new needs that arose at this period. Which led to identical buildings filling up all the space, at the exception of the churches, the cathedral, the castle and the courthouse, along with the few houses that were still standing. All buildings have this rectangular, almost military stern look, but the use of this peculiar kind of stone to build them entirely, brownish-greyish shade of granite, gives the assemble charms that many tourists now adore.

If one of these tourists climbs up the steep and quite slippery staircases leading up to the walls, they will be able to notice, through the holes that once were meant for canons, that danger is never far in these parts. The large black rocks that crawl out of the foam and the waves are deadly for reckless vessels. The ocean is often violent, and large wooden trunks were planted all along the seaside in order to break the wrath of the waves before they would hit the carved stones of the wall. Many lighthouses colour the horizon in an attempt to clear a path for the sailors, and strongholds were built on large rocks and tiny islands off the shores of Saint-Malo to defend what was once a citadel and one of the busiest harbours in France. Most of these fortifications are unreachable at high tide, even today, and if someone was to find themselves stuck by the tide, they would find no way to reach the town again.

But through these rough elements, the beauty of the town is found as well.

Let’s focus further on, and we can begin our story by studying the tall blond man sitting up there, in a corner of a crêperie set against the inner wall of the old town, his galette gone and his empty plate waiting for a waiter to come and carry it away. The restaurant was decorated with taste, walls white and dark blue, meeting the shades of the ocean. The tiny tables were packed together to allow as many customers in as possible, and this American, who was distractingly looking out the window, seemed too big for the furniture. He had let his beanie and warm scarf on the table next to his plate, his warm coat set on his chair. It was raining outside, which was to be expected for this region, and even more so two days before Christmas. After all, the season of storms had begun.

He almost jumped when you came back from the ladies’ room to sit across him again.

"It won’t get any better before Christmas, you’d better get used to the weather," you told Steve with an amused smile, following his gaze to the street outside, where the rain was pouring, the wind so strong that the droplets fell at a weird angle.

"How did you convince me to spend Christmas here again?" Steve asked with a chuckle.

"I begged you. That’s how. And I promised that I’d owe you one.

"Hmm, yes, I remember now."

"At least, this isn't a real storm! We can still go wherever we please."

"I don't want to know more about these storms just yet."

"I didn't picture you as a man who would like to spend Christmas on a beach with sun and cocktails. I pictured you more… well, like you are now! Wearing a warm beige sweater and enjoying the cold of December."

"I can't believe I've refused that invitation from Sam and Bucky to go to Hawaii…" Steve shook his head and heaved a tired sigh, which only made you laugh.

"You're retired now! You have all the time you want to go drink cocktails under the sun!" you replied with a playful tone. "Besides, you would go crazy there. Doing nothing… that's not exactly you, is it?"

"Hiking there would have been great," he fought back, but he knew you were quite right, he fitted better in this cold weather than on a tropical beach. But he just loved bickering with you.

"But instead you helped a friend in need," you grinned.

"I still can't believe I'm doing this either," he shook his head again.

"Alright, so… let's say it all one more time. We've been together for a year, our first date was…" you left your lie for him to finish, checking if he had memorized everything.

"In New York, in Central Park, we went ice-skating," he answered with a tired voice that didn't match the amused smile tugging at the corner of his lips.

"Right! And now…"

"We're thinking about moving in together in New York, but we still need to discuss it."

"Have we thought of a part of town where we'd settle yet?"

"Not really, nothing is decided, it's a mere project for now."

"My mom will probably give you tons and tons of ideas for decorating an apartment, or places where we could live. Just… go along with it, okay?"

"Okay."

"They'll ask about the working together thingy, and both of us risking our lives as Avengers."

"Our relationship was never a problem in our work, as we can separate the two, and we are now both retired, so all is fine."

"I think you're ready, Mr. Rogers! Welcome to the Y/L/N family!"

"I wish I could say that it's a pleasure, but this whole business is utterly ridiculous."

"It's not! I won't survive another Christmas holiday with my parents trying to find me a boyfriend at all cost. Thank you for doing this, you're literally saving my life."

"I'm sure it's not as bad as you make it sound."

"Oh, no. It's worse!"

Steve let out a chuckle, the sound making you smile. After all, Steve's persona often oozed a saddened, melancholic aura. Most of his smiles and laughter didn't reach his eyes. These moments when you managed to bring real joy or amusement to his features were worth treasuring, and you always did so.

"And… I might have forgotten to warn you about something, but… hmm…" you slowly stuttered, suddenly choosing your words carefully and dropping your light tone for a more worried one. "My family might still hold a tiny little grudge against you… because of the whole… running-away-from-the-law-and-being-a-fugitive incident."

Steve's reaction was merely to place his face into his palm and heave a deep sigh.

"Sorry…" you whispered tentatively. "But it was a long time ago, I'm sure you'll do fine!"

"I hate you," was all he answered, his voice shushed by his hand.

"Of course, you don't. I'm your fellow retired super-hero! We should form a club for it or something… Call Tony, I'm sure he'd join!"

"You're babbling, and it won't make me forget the mess you've dragged me into."

"We've been through worse." You gave him a genuine smile, and the sight acted like a ray of warm sun touching cool skin. He could never be truly angry against you, detail that he found terribly annoying about you. His muscles instantly relaxed, and your smile carried the same message he always read on your lips then.

Everything would be alright.

You and Steve had been friends ever since that first mission against Loki with the Avengers. Of these new heroes, you and Steve had grown to be inseparable. Sharing ideals and your two moral compasses pointing in the same direction, your differences in personality were the greatest strength of the team the two of you made. You had helped him getting used to a new millennium, and he had been a strong support as you lived away from your family for years. You often thought that you had met each other at the best time, right when you both needed a friend the most. Maybe that was why the two of you had grown so close. Throughout this entire Avengers adventure, you had never let the other down, and none of you intended to act any different now that the two of you had helped defeating Thanos and owned a well-deserved retirement from the Avengers.

The future was a little blurry now. What to do with your life after spending years fighting?

You had decided to push the issue away for the holidays. For now, your family gave you enough of a headache without adding the big questions about your future.

"But I have to admit, that we have been through worse," Steve nodded.

"Like Singapore."

Steve rolled his eyes.

"I can't believe you're still bringing this up…"

"I broke my leg to save you! Because you were too dumb to guess that jumping off a building was not a good idea."

"I would have been just fine."

"You would have crushed your skull on the pavement. Do you have any idea of the amount of paperwork the whole team would have had to fill up if Captain America was turned into jelly like that? The answer is: an awful lot. I had to save you."

A tender smile grew over Steve's features. He had learnt to recognize that teasing tone of yours. He had grown into finding it rather cute. Sometimes, you hid your strongest concerns behind jokes. He accepted the boundaries around your heart, he had built tall walls around his too, after all.

"I'm pretty sure the paperwork will be worse if your parents are responsible for my murder," he replied.

"They won't be! They're adorable. And they're going to adore my fake boyfriend!"

You and Steve exchanged a smile.

"You can add that to your resume when you decide to look for work again: 'experience as a convincing fake boyfriend'. Might open some doors for you in the theatre business."

He couldn't refrain a laugh.

"Thank you for making such efforts to find me a job."

"You're welcome. Writing simply: 'ex-superhero, multiple experiences in saving the world against intergalactic threats' just ain't enough to find anything decent these days."

"You haven't told me what you've decided to do now."

"Because I don't know what to do. But I'll find out."

Another warm smile was exchanged, Steve's reaching the corner of his eyes but something sadder was still hidden in his blue irises. It was okay though, you would do better at making him smile next time.

You were interrupted by the waiter coming to take your plates and offer you the cards for dessert. It didn't matter though. For now, Steve was by your side, you reckoned it was all you needed to be okay.

 ------------------------------------------------------

 "Okay, it's gonna be fine, just relax."

"I am relaxed. You're the one who's panicking."

"I am not."

"You are."

"Oh, shut up."

Your walk from the restaurant to your family's house was short, a mere few minutes. Your family had owned a house in the old town for generations, your grandmother liked to tell you the story of how one of your ancestors used to be a corsair. Some in your family had been fishermen or in the military as well, although these traditions had waned and your parents were now a nurse and a teacher. Which your grandmother laughed at profusely, as she had been working at the docks herself and found it funny to call them both traitors.

Your family owned a large apartment in a building close to the cathedral. The building itself had been rebuilt after the second world war, but the large family had made sure to get an apartment large enough for them all. Your corsair ancestor had brought fortune to your family, buying a large house at the time. If the apartment was nothing compared to the historical house, it was still enough for your large family to fit in. Your grandmother still lived there, and the rest of your relatives had been dispatched through the more modern parts of town, or some, just like you, had left the town to build a life elsewhere.

But the traditional Christmas and New Year celebrations were always set in the ancestral flat. This year, the Christmas dinner would include your grandmother, your parents, your sister and her wife, your brother and his wife along with their two children, one of your aunts and one of your uncles, along with you and Steve, of course. As you had pointed to Steve, you weren't so many this year – considering your grandmothers many brothers and sisters who sometimes were invited as well - and at the exception of your aunt and sister, all were living near or in Saint-Malo. Which was why you and Steve had a room waiting for you in the apartment. You had proposed to go to a hotel, but your grandmother had sounded so offended on the phone that you had to give it up. So, Steve and you would sleep in the same room…

Despite the journey to the building being short, the rain was falling heavily on the town still, and you were both drenched when you reached the stern home. Your suitcase made loud banging noises as you climbed up the streets, the wheels banging into the cobblestones. Steve was carrying a large army bag on his shoulder instead, his beanie glimmering with raindrops.

"I swear, if she's not home yet, I will murder someone," you mumbled under your breath as you rang at the door.

"We could use the time to visit," Steve replied, looking around him.

You raised a hand and put on a tired expression.

"I am jetlagged, I am soaked wet, I am cold, I am exhausted, I am stressed out. I need a warm coffee and some gingerbread, not an adventure under the freezing rain. We'll visit tomorrow, it's a promise. Right now, I just want to get warm and dry."

"We've just eaten, and you want gingerbread?" was all Steve found to answer, but he was terrible at hiding how amused he was.

"You're saying that because you've never tried my grandmother's gingerbread. It's a secret recipe, even I can't know it. She says it will be given to us at the reading of her will."

But the door opened and you could find shelter inside.

You used the old irony lift to climb up to the third floor, and went straight for the door on the left. Your grandmother was faster though, already opening the door for you to enter.

"Oh, Y/N! Je suis contente de te voir!" she held you in her arms tightly enough to make you worry about your ribs.

"Moi aussi, mamie," you smiled and hugged her as well, before turning to Steve, who was waiting on the threshold. "This is Steve. Steve, this is Martine, my grandmother."

"It's very nice to meet you, ma'am," Steve offered her his open hand, but she disregarded it entirely, and she hugged him and gave him the traditional two kisses on each cheek instead.

"Oh, none of that 'madame' nonsense!" she admonished with a laugh and a heavy French accent. "Martine is enough!"

She took a moment to study Steve a little more through her thick glasses, and gave you a knowing look.

"Pas mal, ma p'tite! Pas mal du tout!"

You gave her a desperate look, but Steve merely laughed.

"Do you speak French?" your grandmother inquired, although you thought she ought to have asked before dropping her 'not bad, kiddo! Not bad at all!' at the sight of Steve and shaming you all the way to the next century.

"Un peu," Steve shrugged. "I learnt a little during the war."

"He's fluent," you rolled your eyes at his modesty.

"Oh yes! You were turned into a… oh, how do you say 'glaçon' in English…? Icecube! Yes! Y/N mentioned that! But come in, come in! Oh, you poor things, you're all wet. Sacré pluie! It keeps on raining here in winter."

"Mamie, it rains all year long here," you joked, owning a gentle slap on your arm.

"Chut! I've prepared the second bedroom for the two of you. Get dry, I'll make you some coffee. Un café guérit tout! That's what my father used to say: a coffee heals everything."

You dropped your bags into the room, unsurprisingly discovering only one bed in the room decorated in an old-fashioned way. You took a moment to both change into dry clothes, before joining your grandmother in the living room again. You sat in the sofa while she brought you some coffee.

"Here, all hot! How was your plane?" she asked.

"The flight went well," you answered with a smile. "No trouble."

"And the trains? You arrived in Paris, right?"

"Yeah, that part was a bit of a mess."

"Ha, strikes again," your grandmother nodded. "Ought to keep the politics on their heels."

You and Steve both giggled.

"On their toes, mamie, not their heels."

"Same thing. Has to do with their feet anyway."

"When is everyone arriving?" you asked her, sipping on your warm beverage.

"Tonight, so we can all meet Steve!" she answered with a large smile towards your fake boyfriend.

"Where's Bouton?" you inquired, looking around through the old furniture that smelled like soap, salt and foam.

"Off somewhere. Bouton is our cat," your grandmother explained. "He comes and goes as he pleases, but he loves Y/N a lot. He used to follow her everywhere whenever she came."

"I heard about monsieur Le Kennec too," you said with earnest sadness. "I was sorry to hear about his passing. He was our neighbour downstairs," you explained for Steve. "He always had crazy legends and stories to tell when I was a child. Did you go to his funerals, mamie?"

"Yes. Sad thing. The funerals were yesterday. Fell down the stairs, apparently. He was an old man, after all. Still, he was in such a good shape for his age! I would never had imagined he could die like this."

"A shame. He was very nice."

"And a little crazy. But that's why we loved him. I'll miss him."

"Me too. But, how are you? How's your knee?" you asked, but the old lady brushed your question away.

"Bien, bien! I'm fine! I'm not the interesting one here! So, tell me everything! How did you start dating? Are you happy? When is the weeding?"

"Mamie!" you stopped her, but she merely laughed.

"Just a joke! But I still want to know everything! And more about you, Steve! We have the afternoon to talk, I want to know everything. After all, you'll have to face my son-in-law tonight, and he's very… protecteur?"

"Protective," you corrected. "Yeah… kind of."

"Y/N failed to mention that," Steve gave you a look, but you merely shrugged in silence.

An alarm dinged in the kitchen, and your grandmother hurried to get the cake she was baking. Meanwhile, as your grandmother refused your or Steve's help, your fake boyfriend turned to you.

"So, your father is going to murder me?"

"Possibly…" you answered, your head in your coffee.

He heaved a sigh.

"Nice…"

First, he had to face your grandmother, who seemed to be very nice, but still, the questions would be many, it was obvious. And he had never been of the talkative kind. Lying the whole afternoon promised to be a challenge he would have rather not defied.

How would the evening with your family unfold? That was another level of challenge entirely…

 ***************************************

Tag list : @ponycake27​ @horsesreign​ @xinyourdreamsx​ @jbluevelvet​ @notkeppeki @daynigt-dreamer-stuff @fudgeflyss​ @stuckupstucky​ @snek-shit​ @suchatinyinfinity​ @i-padfootblack-things​  @buckybsarmy​ @heyohheyitsgabi​@jigsawlover10 @emyyjemyy​ @addictedtofictionalcharacters​

 @rishlo @theshortegg @madamrogers​ @marvelcapsicle​ 

#Steve Rogers #steve rogers x reader #steve rogers imagine #steve rogers fanfiction #captain america #captain america x reader #captain america fanfiction #captain america imagine #marvel #MCU #imagine #fanfiction #fanfic #writing #winter event #winter event 2019 #steve rogers au #au

[aeide-thea]

tagged by @crushcandles​ in a beautiful circle of reciprocal memery!

birthday: august

zodiac: virgo sun / taurus moon / cancer rising; i don’t, like, Believe in astrology except in the way that some of tumblr did, for a while, which is to say, as a sort of mystical lens through which to focus one’s self-examination, but i’m told the above triad translates into ‘is a perfectionist who tries to hide eir own messiness, values stability and security and beautiful material things, has a lot of Feelings,’ which sounds about right!

last song listened to: i’ve had the amazing devil’s the horror and the wild on repeat for the last... many days, as i know many of us have, but for some reason tonight i got to thinking, all sweetly-nostalgic, about the music an almost-lover shared with me in 2014, and so the answer to this question is actually, a little anachronistically, dave carter & tracy grammer’s ‘tanglewood tree’ (i yearn away, i burn away, i turn away the fairest flower of love, which, oof is that triad painfully on point).

hobbies: …does blogging count as a hobby? i’ve loved and left a lot of art forms in my time, including poetry and classical singing; i really enjoy bicycling, and rock climbing although i haven’t been in ages, and figuring out how to use the largely exorsexist language of fashion to represent my nonbinary gender, which if not a hobby as such is definitely a project! would love to incorporate some more Making of Things into my life, though, particularly in this next housebound stretch of time—might work on turning that fannish ~queer persistence~ design concept into an actual patch or shirt or something, maybe?

last movie you watched: babel (2006), with the fam, which i wouldn’t say was exactly a Representative Viewing Choice—that said, i liked it a little more than i’d necessarily expected, although i kind of felt as though the film, idk, gestured grandly in the direction of some ideas that it wasn’t ultimately quite deep enough to fully encompass?

dream job: lmao that sure is a question! teaching, maybe? i used to tutor and i loved that to bits. previous, mostly-given-up-on answers to this question have included: classics professor; poet (not, as it turns out, actually a Job); carpenter à la @carpentrix​; and just, like, being ian bostridge.

meaning behind url: any classicists reading this have already rolled their eyes and skipped to the next question, because wow did i make a basic-bitch choice of url when i made this blog, but! it’s from the iliad, whose first line in greek is μῆνιν ���ειδε θεὰ Πηληϊάδεω Ἀχιλῆος (mēnin aeide thea pēlēiadeō akhilēos), or in english ‘sing, goddess, the wrath of peleus’ son achilles,’ though why i felt, twelve years ago, that my perblog needed an ~invocation to the muse~ (since the two words i pulled are specifically the ‘sing, goddess’ bit), i cannot for the life of me tell you. tl;dr the sporadic firing of my so-called synapses is actually the ragged fusillade of the western canon.

top 4 ships: god, never ask me my favorite anything, i invariably stall out through a combination of ‘i’ve suddenly blanked on everything i’ve ever liked in my life’ and ‘are these really the most representative options out of Literally Every Possibility Ever, please hold while i do this optimization problem…’ having said that, one possible answer is something like: rms carpathia; the dawn treader; eärendil’s ship vingilótë; and then maybe skíðblaðnir from the eddas, for all your edc needs (since it folds up so it’s pocket-sized)? with honorable mentions going to the argo and to arthur’s ship prydwen from the preiddeu annwn, because i do love me some welsh-flavored arthuriana. but that response is admittedly something of a jade’s trick!

reading: uh, mostly a whole lot of geralt/jaskier fanfiction, lately! and then also the romans: from village to empire, for my sins. (the last Published Fiction i read, since i think that’s what this question is angling for, was ben aaronovitch’s false value, which—spoilers or whatever—i personally found to be much less fun than any of its predecessors, for a number of reasons including (1) insufficient nightingale (and therefore insufficient opportunity for generation gap banter, which has historically been the engine powering these books), not to mention (2) a disconcerting choice wrt how to present a trans character in text, namely ‘having the POV character actively misgender said character in their head until he introduces himself, at which time the narrative switches pronouns’: my personal feeling on this was, why not just skip straight to the introductions, and leave out the mental misgendering altogether? happy to hear out differing reactions, though.)

what food are you craving right now? not super-hungry just at the mo, but i’d take some kind of fancy sweet bun situation—a kardemummabulle, maybe, or else a yeasted bun swirled with, idk, orange and pistachio and some sort of light floral honey? or, ooh, speaking of pistachio, i could totally go for a pistachio financier, maison kayser makes a pretty great one if ‘going outside for frivolities’ is ever a tenable course of action again…

tagging: god, i don’t know, who are new people/people with urls i want explained/people i didn’t tag in the last meme? @oatplant? @giantsquidastern? @the-mirador​? @designatedloveinterest​? @raisedbyhyenas​? @leighway​? @pinehutch​? @reinvent-and-believe​? @obstinatecondolement​? anyway no pressure, obviously, do the thing if you want and don’t if you don’t! <3

#memes #things people have tagged me in #music #tolkienarium #arthuriana #bookblogging #false value spoilers #food cw

[basicsofislam]

ISLAM 101: Muslim Culture and Character: Embracing The World:

ISLAM – A RELIGION OF TOLERANCE

Islam is a word derived from the root words silm and salamah. It means surrendering, guiding to peace and contentment, and establishing security and accord.

Islam is a religion of security, safety, and peace. These principles permeate the lives of Muslims. When Muslims stand to pray, they cut their connection with this world, turning to their Lord in faith and obedience, and standing at attention in His presence. Completing the prayer, as if they were returning back to life, they greet those on their right and left by wishing peace: “Remain safe and in peace.” With a wish for safety and security, peace and contentment, they return to the ordinary world once again.

Greeting and wishing safety and security for others is considered one of the most beneficial acts in Islam. When asked which act in Islam is the most beneficial, the Prophet replied, “Feeding others and greeting those you know and those you do not know.”[1]

Accusing Islam of Terrorism

How unfortunate it is that Islam, which is based on this understanding and spirit, is shown by some circles to be synonymous with terrorism. This is a great historical mistake; wrapping a system based on safety and trust in a veil of terrorism just shows that the spirit of Islam remains unknown. If one were to seek the true face of Islam in its own sources, history, and true representatives, then one would discover that it contains no harshness, cruelty, or fanaticism. It is a religion of forgiveness, pardon, and tolerance, as such saints and princes of love and tolerance as Rumi, Yunus Emre, Ahmed Yesevi,[2] Bediüzzaman,[3] and many others have so beautifully expressed. They spent their lives preaching tolerance, and each became a legend in his own time as an embodiment of love and tolerance.

Jihad can be a matter of self-defense or of removing obstacles between God and human free choice. Our history is full of examples that show how this principle has been implemented in life.

Of course there are and should be occasions where war is unavoidable. However, the Qur’anic verses on jihad that were revealed for particular conditions have been generalized by some short-sighted individuals. Whereas in actual fact war is a matter of secondary importance, it has been given priority as an essential issue by these people. Such people do not understand the true meaning and spirit of Islam. Their failure to establish a proper balance between what is primary and what is secondary leads others to conclude that Islam advocates malice and hatred in the soul, whereas true Muslims are full of love and affection for all creation. Regarding this, how apt is the following couplet:

Muhammad was born out of love,

What can be born out of love without Muhammad?

Love Is the Essence of Creation

The Pride of Humanity was a man of love and affection. One of his names was Habibullah (the Beloved of God). In addition to meaning one who loves, habib means one who is loved, one who loves God, and one who is loved by God. Sufi masters like Imam Rabbani,[4] Mawlana Khalid,[5] and Shah Waliyyullah[6] state that love is the ultimate station of the spiritual journey.

God created the universe as a manifestation of His love for His creatures, in particular humanity, and Islam became the fabric woven out of this love. In the words of Bediüzzaman, love is the essence of creation. Just as a mother’s love and compassion compels her to allow a surgeon to operate on her sick child to save his or her life, jihad allows war, if needed, to preserve such fundamental human rights as the right to life and religious freedom. Jihad does not exclusively mean war.

Once a friend said to me: “Without exception and regardless of differences in faith, you meet with everyone, and this breaks the tension of Muslims toward probable opponents. But it is an Islamic principle to love those things or people who must be loved on the way of God and dislike those things or people who must be disliked on the way of God.” Actually this principle is often misunderstood, for in Islam all of creation is to be loved according to the rule of loving on God’s way.

“Disliking on the way of God” applies only to feelings, thoughts, and attributes. Thus, we should dislike such things as immorality, unbelief, and polytheism, not the people who engage in such activities. God created humanity as noble beings, and everyone, to a certain degree, has a share in this nobility. His Messenger once stood up out of respect for humanity as the funeral procession of a Jew passed by. When reminded that the deceased was a Jew, the Prophet replied: “But he is a human,” thereby showing the value Islam gives to human.

This action demonstrates how highly our Prophet respected every person. Given this, the involvement of some self-proclaimed Muslim individuals or institutions in terrorist activities can in no way be approved of by Islam. The reasons for this terrorism should be sought for in the actions themselves, in false interpretations of the faith, and in other factors and motives. Islam does not support terror, so how could a Muslim who truly understands Islam be a terrorist?

If we can spread the Islamic understanding of such heroes of love as Niyazi-i Misri,[7] Yunus Emre, and Rumi globally, if we can extend their messages of love, dialogue, and tolerance to those who thirst for this message, then everyone will run toward the embrace of love, peace, and tolerance that we represent.

The definition of tolerance in Islam is such that the Prophet even prohibited verbal abuse of unbelievers. For example, Abu Jahl died before embracing Islam, despite all the Prophet’s efforts. His unbelief and enmity toward the Prophet was such that he deserved the title Abu Jahl: Father of ignorance and impudence. His untiring opposition to Islam was a thorn in the side of the Muslims.

Despite such hostility, when in an assembly of Companions where Abu Jahl’s son Ikrimah was present, the Prophet one day admonished a Companion who had been heard insulting Abu Jahl: “Do not hurt others by criticizing their fathers.”[8] Another time, he said: “Cursing your mother and father is a great sin.” The Companions asked: “O Messenger of God, would anyone curse their parents?” The Prince of Prophets replied: “When someone curses another’s father and the other curses his father in return, or when someone curses another’s mother and the other does the same in return, they will have cursed their parents.”[9]

While the Prophet of Mercy was inordinately sensitive when it came to respecting others, some Muslims today justify unpleasant behavior on the basis of religion. This shows that they do not understand Islam, a religion in which there is no place for malice and hatred.

The Qur’an strongly urges forgiveness and tolerance. In one verse, it says of pious people:

They swallow their anger and forgive people. God loves those who do good. (Al-Imran 3:134)

In other words, Muslims should not retaliate when verbally abused or attacked. If possible, as Yunus says, they should act as if they had no hand or tongue with which to respond and no heart with which to resent. They must swallow their anger and close their eyes to the faults of others. The words selected in the verse are very meaningful. Kazm, translated as swallowing, literally means swallowing something like a thorn, an object that actually cannot be swallowed; thus it denotes swallowing one’s wrath, no matter how difficult. Another verse, while mentioning the characteristics of believers, says:

When they meet hollow words or unseemly behavior, they pass them by with dignity. (Al-Furqan 25:72)

When we look at the exalted life of God’s Messenger, peace and blessings be upon him, we see that he always practiced the precepts presented in the Qur’an. For example, a Companion once repented of a sin and admitted: “I am guilty of fornication. Whatever my punishment is, give it and cleanse me.” The Prince of Prophets said: “Go back and repent, for God forgives all sins.”[10] This event was repeated three times. Another time, a Companion complained to the Prophet that someone had stolen his belongings. But as the punishment was about to be carried out the Companion said: “I have changed my mind and do not want to pursue my case. I forgive this individual.” The Prophet asked: “Why did you bring this matter to court? Why didn’t you forgive him from the outset?”[11]

When such examples are studied from their original sources, it is clear that the method of those who act with enmity and hatred, who view everyone else with anger, and who blacken others as infidels is non-Islamic, for Islam is a religion of love and tolerance. A Muslim is a person of love and affection who avoids every kind of terrorist activity and who has no malice or hatred for anyone or anything.

[1] Abu Dawud, Adab, 142.

[2] Ahmed Yesevi (d. 1166): Sufi poet and early Turkish spiritual leader who had a powerful influence on the development of mystical orders throughout the Turkish-speaking world.

[3] Bediüzzaman Said Nursi (1877-1960): An Islamic scholar of the highest standing with deep spirituality, a wide knowledge of modern science and the contemporary world. He believed that humanity could be saved from its crises and could achieve true progress and happiness only by knowing its true nature, and by recognizing and submitting to God. His Risale-i Nur (The Epistles of Light) deals with the Islamic essentials of faith, thought, worship, and morality and Qur’anic descriptions of Divine activity in the universe. Containing rational and logical proofs and explanations of all Qur’anic truths, it is his reply to those who deny them in the name of science. In his work, he reveals their many discrepancies and illogical statements.

[4] Imam Rabbani (Shaykh Ahmad al-Sirhindi) (1564?-1624): Indian Sufi and theologian who reasserted and revived the principles of Islamic faith and Sufi tradition in India against the syncretistic religious tendencies prevalent under the Mogul emperor Akbar. He was given the posthumous title: Mujaddid-i Alf-i Thani (Renovator of the Second [Islamic] Millennium).

[5] Mawlana Khalid al-Baghdadi (1778-1827): Naqshbandi master considered the mujaddid (reviver) of the thirteenth Islamic century. The Khalidi order, a new Naqshbandi branch, arose under his leadership and had acquired a large following by the end of the nineteenth century.

[6] Shah Waliyyullah Muhaddith of Delhi (1702-1762): A great scholar of the twelfth Islamic century. Some writers call him Khatam al-Muhadditheen (the last of the hadith scholars).

[7] Niyazi-i Misri (1618-1694). A Sufi poet and member of the Khalwati order.

[8] Hakim, al-Mustadrak, 3:241; Muttaqi al-Hindi, Kanz al-’Ummal, 13:540.

[9] Muslim, Iman, 145; Tirmidhi, Birr, 4.

[10] Muslim, Hudud, 17, 23; Bukhari, Hudud, 28.

[11] Abu Dawud, Hudud, 14(4394); Nasai, Sarik, 4 (8, 68); Muwatta, Hudud, 28, (2, 834).

#allah #god #islam #muslim #quran #revert #convert #convert islam #revert islam #reverthelp #revert help #revert help team #help #islamhelp #converthelp #prayer #salah #muslimah #remidner #pray #dua #hijab #religion #mohammad #new muslim #new revert #new convert #how to convert to islam #convert to islam #welcome to islam

[bamon4bamily]

TVD 9x06 (part 1) Enjoy! =)

Cut to – freaky old mansion, Darius’s room. A portal closes; we see Bonnie laying on Darius’s bed, in a deep sleep, Danae still holding her hand.

 DARIUS: Hello, sister.

DANAE: (Looking terrified) Darius…

DARIUS: Don’t look so frightened, Lish, I’m the one looking at a ghost. God, it’s crazy seeing you in the flesh… (he tries to touch her, she quickly steps aside in a panic).

DARIUS: Calm down, I’m not going to hurt you. You made me a promise (looks at Bonnie) and you kept it.

DANAE: I did, now let me go.

DARIUS: I’m sorry, sis, but I can’t do that.

DANAE: We had a deal…

DARIUS: And I will keep my word. I said I wouldn’t hurt you, and I won’t, pinky swear. But I’m sure you can understand why I can’t let you go; can’t have any loose ends…

DANAE: You bastard!

DARIUS: (Sarcastic laugh) I think we both know who the bastard is; mother was always such a flirt.

DANAE: Please, just let me go. I followed your instructions; I swear I’ll keep my mouth shut and disappear.

DARIUS: (Changing the subject) You know, it truly baffles me that you would think I wasn’t aware that you have been alive for all these years… Come on, Lish, I thought you were smarter than that… Do you really think all that tragedy came from karma? Granted it must’ve had a hand in it, but… really? You couldn’t figure it out? Guess the genius genes do come from my father’s side…

DANAE: You’ve known all this time?

DARIUS: Of course, I have. The only reason you are still alive is not because of your flawed immortality serum, which I’ve perfected, by the way, but because I’ve allowed you to… What can I say, I’m a sucker for family drama.

DANAE: You are insane…

DARIUS: We all go a little mad sometimes… (with sarcasm) Yet, I wasn’t the one locked up in an Asylum for years.

DANAE: It was you...  You were the one that got me locked up…

DARIUS: Oh no, you did that all on your own; I only suggested the pertinent treatments.

DANAE: (In painful wrath) They put a needle through my eyeball, you crazy fuck!

DARIUS: Trial and error, sis, that’s the only way to verify a theory… just ask your “friend” Marie… Oh wait, you can’t…

DANAE: (Charges him) I’ll kill you!!!!  

DARIUS: (Restrains her with his hands; Bonnie starts to move) Shhhhh… you are waking her up. It’s time for you to take a time out; I’ll take it from here. (Some freaky hooded people come in and take Danae away, Darius sits by the bedside, holds Bonnie’s hand).

DANAE: (As she is being taken away) She is going to destroy you, and I’m going to enjoy every minute of it!

DARIUS: (To the hooded people) Put her in the bunker.

Cut back to – The Mikaelson mansion, 12:05 am. It’s pitch dark. Everyone is passed out on the floor; after a few seconds, they start to react.

 DAMON: (Confused) What the hell happened?

ALARIC: I have no idea, but… (before he can even finish his sentence, Damon vamps upstairs to check on Bonnie; she and Danae have vanished… Damon, desperately, vamps his way through every inch of the mansion looking for her, she’s nowhere to be found).

KLAUS: (Also searching) Damon, we have searched everywhere, they are gone.

DAMON: How? We were all by the door, there is no way…

KLAUS: Cloaking spell, who knows? You seem to forget how magic works, my friend, anything is possible. Now, let’s go get the others. (They regather with the group downstairs, Klaus lights some candles so that everyone can have some visibility).  

ALARIC: What is going on?!

KLAUS: Bonnie and Danae are gone.

ALARIC: What!? How?

KLAUS: Enough with the how; we need to focus on the where and why.

TYLER: Uhm, guys, I think we have another problem (points to Katherine who is in a catatonic state, they try to snap her out of it, but she is unresponsive, completely lost in a daze).

LEXI: Can’t believe this is happening! I thought we had the perfect plan...

ALARIC: They must have figured it out, orchestrated some sort of stealth attack…

RADKA: All I remember was waiting by the door to attack upon arrival, then I saw an overwhelming light and blacked out.

KHUYANA: Me too…

ALARIC: I think we all did.

DAMON: Enough with the chit chat; we need to find Bonnie.

ALARIC: And we will, Damon, but we have to figure out what we are dealing with first.

DAMON: What is there to figure out, Ric? We know what we are dealing with; a lunatic mind-freak asshole, and his cult groupies. So, let’s skip the over rationalization, and get to the action. Plan is simple, find these bastards, kill these bastards, get Bonnie back.

KLAUS: I agree with Damon, for once.

CAROLINE: Me too.

ALARIC: I would like nothing more, but we don’t even know where these cult freaks are!

KHUYANA: I have a feeling someone might… Matt.

KLAUS: Well, love, that’s not very helpful given that your husband was a no show.

TYLER: My bet is that he’s at the Mayor house; Matt told me he was hosting a Halloween ball; and, for some fucked reason, Matt always seems to be wherever he is.

DAMON: So, what are we waiting for? Let’s go!

CAROLINE: I’m game, but first we need to stop by the house and make sure everyone is okay. And leave this one (referring to Katherine) to someone’s care.

DAMON: We can’t waste any time, Care. Klaus, Tyler and I will go find Matt, you guys go back to the house. Once we find Donovan, we’ll drag his sneaky ass back and figure out our next move.

CAROLINE: Okay, just please, don’t do anything without us.

KLAUS: We won’t, love, I’ll make sure of it.

DAMON: Whatever; (to Klaus and Tyler) wolf-boys, let’s move.

 Everyone leaves; as they are driving, they stare in disbelief at the scenery; the entire town seems to be having a total blackout; not a single light at sight.

Cut to – freaky old mansion. Darius takes Bonnie into a private section of the mansion. It’s a strange ballroom, set up as a worship haven, reminiscing of Stanley Kubrick’s “Eyes Wide Shut” scene…

DARIUS: My queen… behold your kingdom. (He takes her by the hand and leads her to the center of the altar, inside a Hecate symbol. All the guests, wearing hooded togas and masks, kneel upon her).

DARIUS: At last, the goddess has arrived! (They start chanting in her worship).

BONNIE: (Whispers to Darius) Darling, this is a bit much, don’t you think?

DARIUS: Nothing is too much when it comes to you. Bonnie Sheila Bennett, you are a goddess, you just need to believe it. You can do anything you set your mind to, no restrictions, no consequences. You are the alpha and the omega…

BONNIE: No restrictions... that does sound tempting…

DARIUS: Just let yourself be free, my love, embrace your destiny...

Bonnie, seduced by the feeling of absolute power, lets go of the last hold she has over who she is and embraces her power to the fullest. A huge energy field emerges from her, the biggest one yet...At this precise moment, a new Bonnie is born, a child of fire and desire, a purely instinctual creature with the power to create… and destroy.

Cut to- freaky bunker. Matt, sitting outside the heavily sealed door, which is now open. He is crying.

MATT: (To himself) What have I done… what have I done…

MILITARY MAN: General…

MATT: Don’t call me that! I’m not a General! I am the Sheriff of Mystic Falls, that is all…I don’t belong here...

MILITARY MAN: I’ll give you some space, Sir. (Walks away, approaches another military man) I think the General has lost his mind…

MILITARY MAN 2: Cut him some slack, he’s under a lot of stress. How would you react if that order had to come from you? That has to break a man...

MILITARY MAN: Do you think we are doing the right thing, here?

MILITARY MAN 2: Not sure if it’s the right thing but it’s the only thing we can do if we want to have a fighting chance.

Cut to – The Salvatore mansion. Stefan, Elena, and Sam are in the living room. The gang walks in. Caroline sees Stefan and runs to hug him.

CAROLINE: Oh, thank god, you are alright! The girls?

STEFAN: They are sleeping, they fine; we are all fine, it’s just a blackout.

CAROLINE: Oh, trust me, it’s much more than that.

ELENA: (To Caroline, looking quite pissed) Uhm, hello?!

CAROLINE: Elena! Oh my god, you are here! I totally forgot to…

ELENA: Oh, I know! Stefan put me up to do date…  what the hell, Care!?

CAROLINE: I’m sorry, we thought you didn’t want to be involved in these things anymore. (To Sam) Hey, Sam…

SAM: Hey… (looking quite uncomfortable, given the situation).

ELENA: Where is Bonnie?

CAROLINE: We don’t know, something went wrong…

STEFAN: What happened?

CAROLINE: As soon as the clock stroke midnight, there was this huge light blast, then everyone passed out. When we woke up, Bonnie and Danae were gone.

STEFAN: Where is Damon?

CAROLINE: He went with Klaus and Tyler to look for Matt; we think he might know where Darius is.

STEFAN: (Looking at a catatonic Katherine) And what happened to her?

RADKA: We don’t know either… she won’t snap out it; she is physically fine, but…

CAROLINE: She’ll be okay, she is just in shock. (To Alaric) Let’s go check on the girls…

ALARIC: They are asleep, Care, we don’t want to wake them.

CAROLINE: We won’t; just as kiss so they know we are fine. (They go upstairs).

ELENA: Lexi, glad to see you made it back…

LEXI: (With a bit of disdain; still resentful for how she hurt Stefan) Well it was all thanks to my girl Bonnie… now that’s what I call I real woman.

STEFAN: So, Lex, can you tell us exactly what happened?

LEXI: I’ll try my best…

Cut to – The Mayor’s mansion. Damon, Klaus, and Tyler arrive.

 DAMON: How come this is the only place that has electricity?

TYLER: Privileges of the elite…

KLAUS: Please, Lockwood, if that were the case, there be electricity at my house as well. (Tyler rolls his eyes; they ring the doorbell).

ANTHONY: Fashionably late, I see. Invitations, please.

DAMON: One vampire and two hybrids, how is that for an invitation?

ANTHONY: I’m afraid I don’t follow your sense of humor, Sir. So, once again, invitations, please.

KLAUS: What he means is that if you don’t invite us in, we will rip your insides out… how is that for a sense of humor?

ANTHONY: Gentlemen, I don’t want any trouble, but I cannot allow you inside without an invitation.

EDWARD: (Edward comes to the door, sensing something is up) Anthony, what is going on?

ANTHONY: Sir, I…

TYLER: Wow, you really went all out with your costume…

DAMON: (To himself) I freakin hate clowns…

EDWARD: What is the trouble here?

KLAUS: We are looking for Matt Donovan, we were told he might be around…

EDWARD: Well, you have been misinformed, the Sheriff is not here. Granted he was invited, but he declined. Feel free to come inside and see for yourselves.

ANTHONY: Sir…

EDWARD: It’ fine, Anthony. Come in; you are also welcome to indulge if you like.

Cut to back to – the old freaky mansion. Darius and Bonnie inside his illusion realm.

BONNIE: That kiss made me thrust, care to offer this lady a drink?

DARIUS: I would be delighted (holds her hand and takes her to the bar).

DARIUS: (To the bartender) Champagne for the lady.

BARTENDER: Coming right up, Sir.

BONNIE: Actually, I’m bourbon kinda a gal. (Mocking) I thought you knew me better...

DARIUS: Sorry, love, I assumed…

BONNIE: Well, you know what they say about assuming (winks, Darius looks confused). Just teasing, dear. (Gives him a peck on the cheek, then looks around). This is quite the party…

DARIUS: It’s all for you, my love.

BONNIE: You spoil me too much.

DARIUS: Anything for you…

BONNIE: You are making blush…

DARIUS: I love to see you blush.

BONNIE: Careful. I might not be able to control myself.

DARIUS: Neither will I…

(They kiss passionately, find themselves a private spot, and...)

Cut back to – the Mayor’s mansion. Damon, Tyler, and Klaus are looking for Matt.

 TYLER: (Looking at the decadence) Damn, and here I thought I had seen it all… These people are freaking insane…

DAMON: Concentrate, Lockwood! (Getting frustrated) Where the hell is Donovan!?

KLAUS: I think the clown was telling the truth...

EDWARD: (Who has snuck up on them) I told you...

DAMON: (Jumps in a fright) Jesus, holly shit hole!  

EDWARD: I take it you don’t like clowns (smirks)? I’m sorry, gentlemen, but he is not here. And, now that I know he wasn’t with you either, I think I just might know where, or rather, who he is with. As much as it hurts that he would betray my trust, I’m almost certain that he is with a man called Darius.  

KLAUS: You know Darius?

EDWARD: Unfortunately, I do. Has been the stone in my shoe for quite some time now.

DAMON: Where can we find him?

EDWARD: At a freaky old mansion… thing is, it’s not easy to find.

TYLER: What do you mean?

EDWARD: Well, it seems to appear and disappear; making it quite difficult to track.

DAMON: I’ve seen that trick before, we just need the location; we’ll figure it out from there. 

EDWARD: You make it sound so simple. You are aware of who you are dealing with, correct? Darius is the master of illusion, capable of making you believe whatever he wants…

DAMON: (Getting pissed off) Can you tell us the location, or not!?

EDWARD: Temper, temper… Listen, Damon, is it? All I can tell you is that the last time I was able to locate the mansion it was at this address (shows them a location on his phone).

TYLER: That’s impossible; that’s where Matt’s old house is.

EDWARD: Well, that´s uncanny...

DAMON: (To Klaus and Tyler) Let’s go...

EDWARD: If you are thinking that the trick is a cloaking spell, I can assure it’s not. Like I said, Darius is an illusionist, the only way to see through his illusions is to find a loophole; and trust me, that is not an easy thing to do; especially if you don’t have the proper abilities. So, unless one of you is a psychic-witch, it’s pretty much useless.

DAMON: How were you able to find him before?

EDWARD: With a little help from my friends (points to a mystery lady, and a strange man).

KLAUS: (Completely taken with her) She is breathtaking... (stares in intrigue) seems so familiar...

EDWARD: Does she, now?

TYLER: What’s with the freaky glove?

EDWARD: Let’s just say, she has quite a peculiar taste.

DAMON: Can she help us find Darius?

EDWARD: She can, but I must warn you, with her, there is always a price to pay.

DAMON: I really don’t care, as long as she can lead us to Bonnie.

EDWARD: Okay, but don’t say I didn’t warn you. Come with me. (They approach the mystery lady) My dear, I’d like to introduce you to some friends of mine... 

LADY: Pleasure to meet your acquaintance, gentleman.

TVD 9x06 (part 2) coming soon! Hope you stop by, read and enjoy! =) 

#TVD #tvd fanfiction #vampire diaries #bamon fanfic #bamon #damon and bonnie #bonnie bennett #damon salvatore #dark bonnie #kat graham #ian somerhalder #ilovefanfic86 #animeeyes21 #absentmindeddreamer #stephm1587 #mademoisellevalerie85 #bamoniseternal #bamonisreal #bamon-iridiance #bamonisawsome #awsomebamon #yinix1 #maniq1 #stellanoble #clararosetylor #bamon shippers club #guilty-as-charged-i-ship-it #bamonstrash #bamondomesticity #bamily

[olberic]

vesperia ask meme from this post 

👤 favourite character?

pretty even tie between raven and patty! love their backstories. love their development. love their thottiness

👥 most used party?

yuri or flynn / raven / patty / rita ! yuri or flynn depends on what mood im in or if i want extra healing

👍 who do you play as most?

still yuri, but ive been playing as patty a lotttt more lately

👎 who do you play as least?

estelle and judith.... i love them but im so bad at targeting estelle’s spells and i can’t keep judith in the air for longer than like.. 20 hits....

🌆 favourite town?

aurnion!! the music is so so good, i love that its a base of sorts for a lot of the npcs, and i really like that its like in a corner of a mountain too! i’d live there

🏞 favourite dungeon?

manor of the wicked, mostly bc i spent sooo much time grinding in and around there! honourary mention for tarqaron for having the best soundtrack tho

🌎 is there anywhere on the world map that’s comforting to you?

i love the zopheir drifts! 

😴 what inn do you go to most often?

the one in myorzo even tho its super inconvenient bc it has everyone sharing a bed which i think is super cute 

🎧 favourite song on the soundtrack?

YES i listen to the soundtrack all the time YES i have these memorized: breath of resonance (aurnion), fury sparks (vs flynn), twisted blades (vs zagi), oath of the union (dahngrest), tragic resolution (sad music from the post-cumore confrontation), dark conspiracy and the tower of contraption (upper ghasfarost), radiant light fostering life (egothor forest), the world at your fingertips (zaude), brooding omen (tarqaron)

🦅 most fun giganto beast to fight?

BRUTAL BY FAR... it spawns so often and u can get ur allies to distract the summons and just 1v1 it w a paralysis charm

🐆 favourite monster?

first time i had to fight a skunky i nearly cried i can’t kill them i always run away

🐉 favourite boss?

fight wise? probably gauche and droite bc they’re fun or estelle bc she’s really easy to practice combos on! character wise its schwann bc ill admit it i simp for raven

⚔️ most fun battle?

again probably gauche and droite, and outside of bosses it’d be the wrath nails in the labyrinth of memories! if u take flynn and just use dazzling glare on them two or three times you get a fatal strike and its fun to make a 300000 hp total battle go down to like. 6 hits

💀 hardest boss battle?

besides the first gattuso def the cameos in the tag team battle... how many times have i gotten barbatos almost dead before he gets healed and my healers get sealed... then stressing about the time left for the party battle im sick of it im SICK 

✨ favourite mystic arte?

raven’s wink in crisis rain it’d be wolf fury if not for the rare time i can get seifer with summon friends

🎉 any victory quotes that stand out to you?

“our weapons are love!” “justice!” “sexualityyyyy” “WOULD YOU STOP” 

and besides that i love patty’s “the queen of the seas has arrived!” and yuri and flynn’s fistbump bc those are cute 

🥰 favourite NPC?

i didn’t really have any for this game?? like i much prefer the PCs but also... gauche and droite hold a special place in my heart, and nan won me over with her development. also yeager. kakyoin lookin ass

🧥 favourite outfits?

yuri: true knight + the hairpins attachment. i’d die for the ponytail

estelle: her default is actually my fave, but heroic actress for the ristelle

repede: not an outfit but overdrive brigade or bust

karol: warehouse master! i love the jacket

rita: seeker. its what she deserves

raven: that summer guy bc his hair in that has me 😳 and also adept assassin

judith: draconic lancer or glamourous maid... i am not immune to hot girl

patty: pirate queen bc its what she deserves

flynn: benevolent beneficiary and its soley because of the thigh holster

👕 least favourite outfits?

whoever decided on yuri’s yumanju/swim outfits needs to be JAILED... miska doctoral degree and the frog outfit and sultry temptress and dont get me started on the xmas and samurai ones 

🎥 favourite skit?

POINTS SKIT POINTS SKIT

❤️ did you ship any characters?

from the moment rita blushed at estelle i was hooked on them... also yuri/flynn is like. too canon to not love. also raven/literally anyone except karol (son) and rita (lesbian)

💔 any ships you don’t like?

yuri/estelle and flynn/estelle bc i can’t stomach her not being a rita im not even joking 

🏥 what healer do you use most?

raven! i usually don’t need more than a few love shots and i have more than enough items to make up for the lack of recovery spells

🗺 most enjoyed side quest / side quest chain?

do i even have to say best friends? and the sicily ones are pretty fun and i also like seeing nan in the hunting blades ones

🤢 most annoying side quest / side quest chain?

FUCK GUILD QUEST ALL MY HOMIES HATE GUILD QUEST

🔪 what difficulty do you play on most often?

normal for now sjvbksdvjbs i plan on doing hard next tho

💯 solo coliseum fights or tag team coliseum fights?

tag team bc i love fighting the others! i usually bring raven but by god do i love rita and schwann’s dialogue in the knights fight

➕ have you played the EX new game plus?

not yet! i’ll be doing that for the mid-hundreds levels tho 

🔨 are there any weapons you always keep equipped?

meteorite blade and defender for yuri, strike eagle +1a and misericorde for raven, holy avenger for estelle, beserker heart for flynn, song of gaia for rita, brionac for judith, and leoluca + black thunder for patty

🗣 do you play dubbed or subbed?

dubbed

🎮 which is your favourite minigame (warehouse, draspi, snowboarding, poker, dragon rider)?

fuck minigames but gun to my head i had to pick one it’d be poker bc the mechanics make sense

🗡 yuri or flynn?

sorry king but it’s yuri for this one yall had me with the vigilantism 

👑 ioder or estelle?

estelle obvs tho ioder is def the better choice for emperor

🏹 raven or schwann?

raven bc hes a thot and not a bootlicker but id be lying if i said schwann couldnt get it

👯‍♀️ gauche or droite?

gauche 

💪 hunting blades or leviathan’s claw?

leviathan’s claw! even if the hunting blades werent awful i’d still pick them bc i love LOVE the serpent’s fang lore and how the guild itself is linked to patty’s backstory and also. also yeager. 

🏠 zaphias or dahngrest?

dahngrest! i truly cannot stand the empire imagine living there

🏕 inns or camping?

inns 100% i will go so far out of my way to make them share rooms rather than camping which is so so boring 

👾 original or definitive edition?

definitive! its the only one ive played, i love patty too much to ever play the og, and being available on the switch is so good

🎢 what difficulty do you play on?

oh my god. oh my god i put this question in twice FUCK

💿 have you played any other tales games?

not yet :-( i love this one too much to change tho i do have beseria bought and ready to go

👬 have you watched first strike?

not yet :-(((( i havent found it anywhere yet but i heard raven’s in it and im. im

⏱ how long have you spent on the game?

....190 hours and counting.....

🗻 what part of the game are you at right now?

working through the 200 man melees now! once i finish those (ive only got yuri and raven done so far)

✅ how did you decide to start playing?

1 i heard it was similar to octopath 2 i thought it was turn based going into it SKJSBDVKSJDVB 3 saw a gif of yuri and flynn on here somewhere and thought aw shit guess i’ll start this game if there’s an active fandom (NOT THAT THERE’S MUCH OF ONE) 4 the game was on sale sdbksdvjbksdjv

#tales of #vesperia #t #long post #this was fun ty op #(op is me)